A Wisconsin woman was arrested for allegedly setting her ex-boyfriend’s barn on fire after she learned he was talking to another woman.
Donna Jo Franklin has been charged with one count of arson of a building without the owner’s consent with an increased penalty because the victim is elderly.
The Sturgeon Bay Police Department confirmed via Facebook that Franklin, 59, was arrested after the event took place on June 10.
Police and firefighters responded to the scene just before 9 p.m., and fire officials launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. It was then determined that the fire was “suspicious,” according to the police department’s press release.
“The barn did not house animals, and no one was present on the property,” the police department said, adding that “the responding units saw the barn engulfed in flames” upon their arrival.
Franklin was arrested and charged on Monday, June 15, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WFRV.
Investigators said that Franklin shared several narratives about what happened on the day of the fire before she ultimately confessed to starting the blaze.
Franklin became a suspect when the barn owner was asked who might have been responsible on the night of the fire. He told police that he had electrical work done last winter, though also mentioned that he and his girlfriend had recently broken up.
The barn owner allegedly said that Franklin originally planned to move out on Sunday, June 14, but she ended up removing all of the supplies and food out of the home before she moved out on June 6, according to the complaint. The man added that he told her to take whatever she wanted because most of it belonged to her.
Law enforcement later interviewed Franklin, who initially seemed unaware of the situation. She also reportedly told police that she enjoyed spending time at the barn, per the complaint.
Franklin met with investigators again on Monday and was questioned again about her involvement in the fire.
She allegedly told officials that she visited the property on the day of the fire so she could borrow an extension cord, and she guessed she was only at the property for about five minutes.
She then allegedly told police that she would never intentionally damage the barn because she invested her own “blood and sweat” into it. Franklin went on to claim that she and her ex previously intended to turn the property into their residence, according to police.
A Pennsylvania man has been arrested after he allegedly set a woman’s house on fire after she rejected his romantic advances, killing her in the process. The Lewistown Police Department said in a statement on Friday, May 8, that Robert Zimmerman was arrested on an outstanding warrant over a fatal arson. Zimmerman, 40, was taken […]
However, her story later changed when she admitted to throwing away a red “flicker” that she had used to set insulation paper on fire while she was at the barn on the day of the arson. She then allegedly admitted to throwing the flicker away later that day at a Culver’s.
Franklin told authorities that she broke up with the victim because she found text messages that he sent another woman. She then added that the revelation destroyed the “dream” of the barn.
After the pair broke up, Franklin said she realized the barn would no longer be hers and she didn’t want her ex to share it with another woman.
It is not currently clear if Franklin has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Sturgeon Bay Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
