Sibley, Iowa — The pretrial conference, and therefore the trail for an Ashton man accused of starting a fire at the home where he and his girlfriend were living — has been pushed back, yet again.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office tells us that upon the investigation of a fire at a house fire at 533 5th Street in Ashton on February 24, 2023, an Osceola County Deputy arrested 32-year-old David Alvarez Jr of Ashton in connection with the fire. Alvarez is charged with alleged Arson 1st Degree, a Class B Felony; and Criminal Mischief 1st Degree, a Class C Felony.
Court documents indicate Alvarez lit a fire in the fireplace and then allegedly took a broom and started fires elsewhere in the home. The documents say Alvarez told the deputy he didn’t know why he set the fire.
His attorney filed a plea of not guilty in March, and the first pretrial conference was set for May 1st. It has been pushed back several times since then, the latest of which was supposed to have been on November 27th. Another motion for continuance was posted this Wednesday.
According to the Osceola County arrest log, he was arrested again on a warrant for the charge last week.
