Linda Weller, DOB: 4/15/1951, appeared before The Honorable Frank Kundrat on February 12, 2009 and was sentenced to 50 months in prison following conviction for Arson in the First Degree. The Judge ordered a mandatory minimum fine of $50 and restitution in the amount of $37,784.08. The defendant was also required to provide a DNA sample.
Weller was charged in connection to a fire on 16th Avenue North in St. Cloud on April 15, 2008. The St. Cloud Fire Department determined that three separate fires had been started at this residence. One was started in a chair in the basement, one fire was started on the bed in the Defendant's bedroom, and the third fire was started on a bookshelf hanging on the wall in the Defendant's bedroom. Evidence also showed that Weller attempted to create a short in an electrical outlet in the basement of the home.
The case was investigated by the St. Cloud Fire Department in partnership with the St. Cloud Police Department and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Crime Analysis Laboratory.