Kenosha man charged with setting his parents’ yacht on fire
Click here for updates on this story
RACINE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — A Kenosha man is facing criminal charges after allegedly setting his parents’ yacht on fire last Friday morning.
27-year-old Kenneth Koger is charged with two felony counts: arson of property and criminal damage to property.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators responded to Reefpoint Marina in Racine around 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20 and found a yacht severely damaged with “substantial burn and char marks,” rendering the vessel a total loss. The boat was previously valued at about $90,000.
The dock the boat was resting on, which was property of the marina, was also “substantially damaged” and partially sinking into the water as a result. The complaint said the approximate cost of repair was estimated at several thousand dollars.
The manager at the marina is also pressing charges.
Officials spoke with the owners of the yacht, who stated that their son, later identified as Koger, had previously started two other fires of family property.
When questioned by authorities, the complaint states Koger initially told them that he fell asleep on the boat and woke up to flames, so he ran to his vehicle. Prosecutors said he later changed his statement, admitting that he bought an orange lighter and a gasoline can at a gas station and started the fire on his parents’ boat.
He told investigators he was upset with his family for getting him chaptered during his last arson incident and said that he “thinks this sent a message to his parents.”
Under Chapter 51 Wisconsin Statutes, the state can provide legal procedures for voluntary and involuntary admission, treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with mental illness, developmental disability, drug dependency or alcoholism.
If convicted, Koger faces up to seven years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines.
A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 1.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
