St. Cloud Man Sentenced for Trying to Burn Down His Apartment

FOLEY (WJON News) -- A St. Cloud man who pleaded guilty to trying to burn down his apartment has been sentenced.

A Benton County judge has sentenced 20-year-old Hunter Hipp to four years in prison with credit for having served 198 days in the county jail. He must also pay $10,000 in restitution.

Hipp pleaded guilty to 1st-degree arson in June.

St. Cloud firefighters responded to 1212 2nd Street Northeast in April 2022 and discovered a second-floor apartment on fire. Crews evacuated the building and were able to put out the flames before they spread to other units.

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Police officers said they spoke to Hipp who admitted to starting the fire. Court records show Hipp said he lit the stove on fire, put a bunch of flammable items in the corner, and lit that on fire as well. When officers asked him why he did it, Hipp allegedly said he wanted to be arrested and thought arson was the quickest and easiest way.

Records show Hipp acknowledged what he did was dangerous and that people could have gotten hurt, but did it anyway.

A mental competency exam determined Hipp was competent to aid in his defense.

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Source: St. Cloud Man Sentenced for Trying to Burn Down His Apartment

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