A Wisconsin woman is facing an arson charge after authorities say she set fire to her ex-boyfriend’s barn days after moving out of the property they had once planned to turn into a home.
Donna Jo Franklin, 59, has been charged with one count of arson of a building without the owner’s consent, with an enhanced penalty because the alleged victim is elderly, according to Door County court records.
The fire happened on June 10 on North 8th Avenue in Sturgeon Bay, a small city about 45 miles northeast of Green Bay. Police and firefighters were called to the scene shortly before 9 P.M., where responding units found the barn engulfed in flames.
“The barn did not house animals, and no one was present on the property,” the Sturgeon Bay Police Department said in a press release. Fire investigators later determined the blaze was “suspicious,” police said.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Green Bay-based CBS affiliate WFRV, investigators said Franklin initially offered multiple explanations before allegedly admitting she started the fire.
On the night of the blaze, the barn’s owner was asked who might have been responsible. He told police he had electrical work done the previous winter, but also said he and Franklin had recently ended their relationship. He allegedly said Franklin had originally planned to move out on June 14, but left on June 6 after taking most of the supplies and food from the property.
When Franklin was first interviewed, police said she denied knowing what happened. She allegedly told investigators she liked spending time at the barn because she enjoyed looking at nature. She also said she worked there during the first half of the day, went home, attended bingo night, and later stopped at Culver’s.
Investigators later learned the fire started on the north side of the barn, where there were no electrical boxes, according to police.
During a second interview on June 15, Franklin allegedly began by saying, “I wanna know what you have already.” She then claimed she had only gone to the property that day to borrow an extension cord and stayed for about five minutes, police said.
Franklin also allegedly insisted she would never damage the barn because she had put her own “blood and sweat” into it. She said she and the owner once planned to make the property their residence.
When investigators asked about something she had thrown away at Culver’s, Franklin first said it was a napkin and tissue, according to the complaint. After more questioning, she allegedly said, “You can charge me now, because you know what it was,” and later added: “Just arrest me.”
Police said Franklin then admitted throwing away a red “flicker” she used to ignite insulation paper at the barn. She allegedly said the breakup came after she found text messages to another woman on the owner’s cellphone, which destroyed the “dream” she believed they shared.
According to police, Franklin said that if she could no longer have that dream, another woman would not have it either.