Plea change hearings set for Mason City men accused of arson

MASON CITY — Plea change hearings have been scheduled for two Mason City men charged with arson who authorities say were paid to set a vehicle on fire close to a home.

44-year-old Andrew Lukes was accused of offering to pay 28-year-old William Rogers and 25-year-old Curtis Anderson Junior to set a vehicle on fire at Lukes’ former home in  the 1000 block of North Jersey.  A fire was started around midnight on February 5th as the vehicle sat in the driveway.

A criminal complaint states that Lukes not only knew his children lived in the home but that their bedroom was on the side of the house that was closest to the driveway and that the children being placed in danger could be reasonably anticipated. The fire did not cause any injuries.

All three men were charged with the Class B felony of first-degree arson, while Lukes was also charged with child endangerment.

Rogers and Anderson were both due in court for a pre-trial conference on Tuesday, but their lawyers filed notices earlier this week asking for plea change hearings to be scheduled. Anderson’s plea hearing is scheduled to take place on January 21st. Rogers is scheduled to have his plea hearing take place on January 13th, the same date that Lukes is also scheduled to have a plea change hearing.