Mandan man accused of setting his house on fire to collect insurance

Sep. 20--A Mandan man faces two felony charges for allegedly setting his house on fire in an attempt to collect insurance money, according to a police affidavit.

Joshua Schmidt, 35, is accused of starting a fire in his southeast Mandan home, which is one unit of a two-story duplex, on April 14. The second unit was occupied. Schmidt's residence had smoke and heat damage throughout, police say.

He reported the fire at 11:02 a.m. Mandan police and fire units arrived about 11:10 a.m., but found no active fire in the residence. Police say video and other evidence, including Schmidt's deceased dog in full rigor mortis and the cool temperature of the area of the fire's origin, point to Schmidt starting the fire hours earlier.

Schmidt is scheduled for an initial appearance and a preliminary hearing Monday on charges of arson and reckless endangerment, court documents show. His attorney, Michael Hoffman of Bismarck, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com

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