(Emmetsburg)– A Wallingford woman has been arrested in connection with a fire back on December 24th, 2005 that destroyed the Mama Moose restaurant in Ruthven.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old Alicia Olson of Wallingford was arrested on a valid warrant at 10:15 a.m. yesterday (Saturday).
Olson was charged with arson in the second degree and first degree fraudulent practices. Both are class “C” felonies.
Olson was booked into the Palo Alto county jail and remains held on 26-thousand dollars bond.
The warrant against Olson was issued following an investigation into what authorities say were “suspicious circumstances” surrounding the fire.
Ruthven firefighters were called to the Mama Moose restaurant shortly before 9:00 a.m. December 24th, 2005 and found smoke coming from several areas of the structure. They were able to extinguish the blaze, but not before it caused extensive structural and smoke damage.
Authorities say Olson was a co-owner of the restaurant at the time of the blaze.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in its investigation by the Ruthven Fire Department, the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Palo Alto County Attorney’s Office.
