Lang
11/12/21
A Williamsburg man charged with allegedly setting a series of fires at the Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area is back behind bars after allegedly skipping a court hearing earlier this week.
49-year-old Jereme Goltz was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 2:30 Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly missed his arraignment on Monday. Investigators say Goltz set multiple fires at the state-owned Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area…which sits along the Iowa River west of Highway 965… between 5pm August 3rd and 8am August 4th. The fires damaged property including multiple trees, parking lot posts and privately-owned hay bales.
Items found at the hay bales that were set on fire matched those found at other fires that Goltz allegedly admitted to setting when interviewed. The bales were owned by an area farmer who was leasing state DNR land.
Goltz is charged with 3rd Degree Arson. If convicted, he faces a maximum of two years in prison.
A case management conference is set for January 3rd.