A Brooklyn Park man set fire to a van in a Dakota County courier company parking lot, damaging two other vehicles and then called his insurance company to report the loss before police even notified him of the arson investigation, according to charges.
Santino Corleone Lee Walker, 47, faces a charge of second-degree arson for setting fire to a 2005 Ford Ecoline on February 19, 2026.
According to the complaint, Mendota Heights police and firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle fire in a courier company parking lot in Dakota County. Officers found the Ecoline engulfed in flames and extinguished the fire, but two other vehicles parked nearby were also damaged.
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Officers observed footprints in the snow leading away from the burned van, suggesting someone had run from the scene. An employee from the courier company told officers the Ecoline belonged to Walker and that the company had warned him the day before that the van, which had been broken down and left on the lot for over 70 days, would be towed if not removed.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video from the parking lot, which showed a Saturn Vue pulling up near the Ecoline. A person exited the Saturn, and a bright flash appeared on camera. Investigators determined that Walker is the registered owner of a Saturn Vue.
Through search warrants, investigators learned that Walker called his car insurance company to report the Ecoline had been destroyed by arson before law enforcement contacted him about the fire. Cell phone data obtained by investigators placed Walker in the immediate area about six minutes after the fire.
Walker’s father, the registered owner of the Ecoline, told investigators that Walker drives the van, is on the insurance policy and submitted the insurance claim. The insurance company paid $8,173.85 for the loss.
When investigators spoke with Walker by phone and asked about the vehicle and insurance, Walker hung up.
The charge was filed August 14 in Dakota County District Court. A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
Minnesota classifies arson by degree (§ 609.561 through § 609.5631), with first-degree arson, dwelling with another person inside, carrying up to 20 years in prison. Criminal damage to property is charged under § 609.595.
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Jurisdictional Context
Dakota County, immediately south of Saint Paul, is Minnesota’s third-largest county by population. The Dakota County Attorney’s Office prosecutes felonies through the First Judicial District; cases are heard at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings.
