BARRON COUNTY — Authorities in Barron and Washburn Counties arrested two teens suspected of an arson spree that destroyed multiple mailboxes, uncovering stolen mail and packages during the investigation., according to a press release from the Barron County Sheriff’s Office.
PRESS RELEASE
On Thursday, December 26, 2024, just after 3:00 p.m., the Barron County 911 center started to receive calls of mailboxes being damaged, burned, and destroyed at several locations in the northern part of the county.
Deputies from the Sheriff’s Department along with the WI State Patrol started to patrol the area and took six complaints of mail and mailboxes being lit on fire and destroyed. A possible plate and description of the truck were given out and due to the location of the incidents, the dispatch center notified Washburn County to check the area.
Just after 4:00 p.m., the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office and a WI State Patrol Trooper stopped a possible suspect vehicle near Shell Lake. A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of a 17-year-old male from Webster and a 15-year-old from Cambridge, MN. Several items of evidence were recovered in the vehicle including mail and packages removed from the mailboxes. Information is being forwarded to the US Postal Inspector for any possible charges from their department.
William Johnson, 17 of Webster is being held in the Barron County Jail on several counts of Arson and is awaiting formal charges by the Barron County District Attorney’s Office next week. The 15-year-old is being referred to Barron County Health and Human Services for charges of Party to the Crime of Arson.
This case remains under investigation along with several other similar cases in Barron County and surrounding counties.
-- Per Chris Fitzgerald, Barron County Sheriff
Last Update: Dec 27, 2024 10:27 am CST
