Stanhope man arrested for burning his house down, sheriff says
Cody Christensen, 28, is charged with second-degree arson and interference with official acts according to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. He is being held in the Hamilton County Jail.
The HCSO said a 911 call came in at 2:21 p.m. Thursday about a house on fire at 2158 360th Street, located about five miles southeast of Stanhope. The home was fully engulfed in flames when law enforcement arrived. There were multiple people on the property and one man said, 'There is a guy with a gun and he appears to be intoxicated.'
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Deputies located the man, later identified as Christensen, and saw him with a shotgun in his hand, drinking what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage. They tried to communicate with Christensen and told him to drop the gun but the HCSO said he told them to 'go home.' He did tell deputies there was no one else in the house.
More deputies and fire units were called in to stand by near the scene as a safety precaution and deputies attempted again to communicate with Christensen but they were unsuccessful. After a little bit of time passed, a deputy was able to speak with Christensen and determine he lived in the home that was on fire.
Criminal complaints filed in the case claim Christensen admitted to a deputy that he started the fire and resisted arrest when he was taken into custody at 3:13 p.m.
The complaint also said he 'strategically placed firearms around the property.' Officials found another shotgun as well as a .22 caliber bolt action rifle that was near the house.
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