A north Iowa man has been charged with arson and assault in connection with a weekend house fire.
The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a dispute at 300 Larch Street in Thorntown just after 2 p.m. Sunday and found the house was filled with smoke. Authorities discovered a fire was started in the basement.
Their investigation led to the arrest of 58-year-old Robert Parker of Thornton on charges of first-degree arson, a Class B felony; and domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood causing bodily injury, a Class D felony. Court documents accuse Parker of putting his forearm on the neck of his victim and applied force causing visible marks on the victim’s neck.
Parker was being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
