Arson investigation in Manitowoc County leads to arrest of woman for “intentional arson of a dwelling”

CLEVELAND, Wis. (WFRV) – An arson investigation culminated in the arrest of a woman following a Manitowoc County house fire earlier this week in the village of Cleveland.

Officials with the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office said an investigation into a May 26 house fire in the 1100 block of Franklin Drive determined the fire was intentionally set.

During the investigation, officers determined that the suspect was Kristin Dewar, a 52-year-old resident of the Village of Cleveland.

Dewar was later arrested without incident on the following charges:

• Three cases of reckless endangerment of safety
• Unsafe burning of a building

It was noted that the charges were forwarded to the Manitowoc County District Attorney’s Office. A bail hearing was held on March 28 and Dewar was reportedly released on bail.

Numerous agencies assisted the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office in the firefighting and subsequent investigation, including:

• Ada Fire Department
• Fire Department Branch
• Cleveland Fire Department
• Cleveland Police Department
• Elkhart Fire Department
• Francis Creek Fire Department
• Haven Fire Department
• Howards Grove Fire Department
• Kiel Fire Department
• Manitowoc County Joint Operations Center
• Manitowoc Fire and Rescue Department
• Newton Fire Department
• Silver Creek Fire Department
• St. Nazianz Fire Department
• Sheboygan City Fire Department
• Valders Fire Department
• Whitelaw Fire Brigade

Anyone with relevant information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Nate Steber at 920-683-6170, via email at [email protected] or Crime Stoppers at 920-683-4466. Tipsters can also use the P3 app to provide anonymous information.

Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available.