By Lydia Hoverson
TOWNER – A Minot man who allegedly started multiple fires from Minot to Bottineau received a $100,000 bond Friday.
Justin Hanson, 42, allegedly started over a dozen fires from Minot to Bottineau Wednesday afternoon, causing an estimate of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property damage to a house, patrol car, farm equipment, several unharvested fields, and more. No person was injured..
After a short court appearance in Towner Friday morning, Hanson received a cash only bond of $100,000, according to Lynn Stone, deputy clerk for McHenry County.
“He’s still in jail as far as we know,” Stone said Friday morning.
Hanson faces 12 felony charges and one misdemeanor charge.
According to the McHenry County affidavit, a patrol car cornered Hanson’s vehicle in a field and both vehicles became engulfed in flames.
Hanson had thrown his dog out of his vehicle and deputies saw the dog in smoke and burning grass. The dog was later returned to Hanson’s family, according to the affidavit.
Hanson was taken to St. Andrews Emergency Room in Bottineau County, and once medically cleared, he was transported to the Heart of America Correctional and Treatment Center in Rugby.
