Crime & Safety

Rosemount Man Charged with Third-Degree Arson

Christopher David Haustein is accused of intentionally setting a Dumpster on fire at a Rosemount apartment complex.

A Rosemount man has been charged with felony third-degree arson in connection with an incident last May during which a Dumpster was set on fire at a Rosemount apartment complex.

Christopher David Haustein,  21, is accused of intentionally igniting cardboard inside a Dumpster at 14550 Shannon Parkway and causing $1,375 in damage.

The maximum penalty for felony third-degree arson is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

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According to the criminal complaint against Haustein, filed in Dakota County District Court in Hastings, Rosemount police received a report last May 26 of a Dumpster on fire. A resident of the complex told police that she had looked out her window and had seen two men near the Dumpster about a minute before she noticed the fire.

She said her husband went outside and managed to pull the flaming Dumpster out of a three-sided carport after pushing another Dumpster out of the way.

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another resident told police that when she came home from work that evening, she saw Haustein digging through a Dumpster while holding a black lighter. She said she left her apartment five minutes later to take her son to a ball game, and by that time, the Dumpster was on fire.

The resident said a crowd had gathered around the fire, including Haustein and some friends. Haustein admitted to several of the onlookers that he had started the blaze, according to the complaint.

Haustein told police that he had ignited a piece of cardboard inside the Dumpster while waiting for some friends because he was bored, the complaint says. He said he believed the fire was out when he walked away from the Dumpster, and told police that he is a “pyro,” according to the complaint.

The fire destroyed the Dumpster, valued at $800, and did $575 in damage to asphalt in the area, the complaint says.


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