Mason City man sentenced to ten years on arson charge, accomplice pleads guilty

MASON CITY — Two of the three Mason City men charged with arson in connection with a vehicle fire close to a home have pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

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.

Lukes this week pleaded guilty to second-degree arson,  Class C felony, and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Rogers this week also pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3rd.

Anderson has a plea hearing scheduled to take place on January 21st.