Another guilty plea in Albert Lea arson case

The Albert Lea man charged with driving the get-away vehicle for a group of others who lit a garage on fire on Garfield Avenue last October pleaded guilty on Thursday in Freeborn County District Court to second-degree arson in the case.

Kaden James Ashenfelter, 23, initially faced a charge of aid and abet first-degree arson in the case.

The plea was part of an agreement with the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office, which calls for five years of supervised probation and 90 days of jail with work release. Arguments for a stay of execution or stay of imposition can be made at sentencing.

The agreement calls for Ashenfelter to complete 200 hours of community service, 50 of which must be with the Albert Lea Fire Department. He must also write an apology to firefighters at the end of the 50 hours and write an apology to the victims.

In addition, he must have no contact with the co-defendants in the case or the victims, among other conditions.

The plea petition filed states Ashenfelter was with Haily Merrill, Kolten Wright and a juvenile on Oct. 6, 2023, in his vehicle when they first drove to Wright’s house to obtain what he later learned to be lighter fluid.

On the way to the Garfield residence, he overheard the other three talk about getting revenge. When they arrived at the residence, the other three got out of the vehicle while he stayed in the car.

While they were there, Merrill was to be the lookout while Wright and the juvenile set the garage on fire.

The juvenile reportedly took the lighter fluid from Wright and doused the cushion with lighter fluid, before Wright allegedly doused the blankets. Wright then reportedly got his lighter out and lit a brown paper bag and put it down on the lighter fluid, and it caught fire.

Wright reportedly said the juvenile ran out of the garage before he lit the fire.

Ashenfelter is slated to be sentenced Nov. 13.

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