North Iowan accused of blowing up his truck to collect insurance money takes plea deal

A North Iowa man accused of staging a motor vehicle accident and blowing up his truck to collect more than $70,000 in insurance money has accepted a plea deal.

Zachary Marshall Robbins, 39, Charles City, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Mitchell County District Court to one count of fraudulent submission of information, a Class D felony.

Related charges of first-degree arson, a Class B felony, and making a false report of an indictable offense, a serious misdemeanor, are to be dismissed, according to court documents.

A sentencing date is scheduled for Jan. 13.

On March 13, 2019, while at the intersection of Shadow Avenue and 450th Street in Mitchell County, Robbins' vehicle and another intentionally collided, causing damage to both, according to charging documents.

While in the presence of another, Robbins allegedly ignited combustible material within the passenger compartment of his vehicle, causing a fire-like explosion which destroyed his truck and all that it contained, the documents state.

The Mitchell County Sheriff's Office responded to the accident and completed a report. When interviewed, Robbins provided false statements about the crash, according to the documents.

Robbins also misrepresented facts to his insurer in an attempt to obtain more than $70,000 in proceeds he was not entitled to, according to the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau.

He was arrested in April of this year on a warrant issued in March 2022.