MONTICELLO, Iowa (AP) — A Monticello man has been arrested and charged with first-degree arson after investigators say he set off an explosion in the basement of his home last month that injured a Jones County sheriff's deputy.
The Gazette reports the explosion happened the night of Nov. 17, after 62-year-old David Costello had threatened to detonate a bomb in his home.
Investigators say that as police tried to convince Costello to surrender, Costello ignited a propane torch near a natural gas supply line he had opened. The resulting explosion consumed an officer and a deputy in a flash fire. Officials say the deputy was injured and was treated at a hospital. Costello was taken to another hospital for a medical and psychological evaluation.
