The men allegedly set fire to the home of a registered sex offender
Two Door County men could face charges of arson as a party to a crime and first-degree reckless endangerment for allegedly setting fire to the home of a registered sex offender in the town of Gardner Saturday.
TJ R. Hunt, 24, and Justin S. Baker, 25, both of Gardner, appeared via video feed Monday in Door County Circuit Court, Branch 2. Hunt could also face additional charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, second offense, and obstructing an officer.
Johnson and members of his family attended the bond hearing. Johnson’s sister-in-law Andrea Johnson, in an interview with the Door County Advocate following the hearing, said Hunt’s and Baker’s actions seemed “premeditated.” Johnson, who was injured in a car accident in 1993, used a wheelchair provided by the courthouse to get into the courtroom. He is able to walk.
Hunt, who lives near the homes of Johnson and Johnson’s brother Dale Johnson, “became increasingly agitated as the evening went on” after learning about Johnson’s sex offender status, the district attorney told Judge Peter Diltz. Both Hunt and Baker were drinking throughout the night, he said.
In the presence of others, including Baker, Hunt “would wax and wane in his agitation over what an outrage” it was having a registered sex offender in neighborhood, he said.
Hunt and Baker went back and forth “seeming to bolster each other’s courage” before they went to Johnson’s house and poured gasoline on a corner of the trailer, he said. Both men later gave statements allegedly admitting to what happened, but neither knew who actually lit the fire.
