This past Monday, August 22, Laird Joseph Mertens of Roseau appeared in Courtroom One at the Roseau County Courthouse for his first hearing with his attorney, Steven Anderson, on one count of negligent fires.

Mr. Mertens has been charged with one felony count for the fire that occurred on or about March 2, 2016, in the City of Badger.

That charge states as follows: Laird Joseph Mertens was grossly negligent in causing a fire to burn or get out of control thereby causing the property of another person to be damaged.

As reported by Andrea Wenzlaff, a lead investigator with the Minnesota State...