A 35-year-old Saint Cloud woman treated for burns on her foot and arms gave a paramedic an account similar to what others at her home told police: that she set a man’s van on fire with gasoline because she was angry with him, according to the complaint.
Bystanders reported the fire to dispatch on Oct. 17. Officers arrived at a parking lot to find the vehicle fully engulfed in flames with no one nearby. Police learned the van belonged to a man the complaint calls Adult A. They went to the home of Nastaho Mohamud Amare and found her with the burns.
Other people at the home told officers she had lit the vehicle with gasoline because she was angry with Adult A about his purchase of it. She gave a paramedic a similar account, the complaint says. Officers also found surveillance footage of her filling a gas can at a nearby gas station shortly before the fire was reported.
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In a later statement, Amare admitted to law enforcement that she lit the vehicle on fire because she was mad at Adult A for selling a different vehicle and buying the van, according to the complaint.
Adult A told police he bought the van for $3,500 and that it was insured by Progressive for up to $3,700. A Progressive insurance agent put its value at $4,285 to $5,585.
Amare is charged with second-degree arson, a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine or both, in a complaint filed Nov. 9 in Stearns County District Court.
Related MN CRIME Coverage
Woman Charged With Arson in Stearns County House Fire • Saint Cloud Man Charged With Aiding Attempted Robbery Involving Bat and Knife • Saint Cloud Man Accused of Threatening Woman With Blade Near Children
Jurisdictional Context
Stearns County encompasses Saint Cloud and is the largest county in central Minnesota. The Stearns County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions through the Seventh Judicial District at the Stearns County Courthouse in Saint Cloud.
