UPDATED: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 --- 3:40p.m.
Thomas L. Matje, 46, DeForest, Wis., is charged with arson. The indictment alleges that on December 27, 2011, he destroyed by fire a building and personal property known as Fat Boys Pizza, in Lodi, Wis.
If convicted, Matje faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.
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UPDATED Wednesday, December 28, 2011--9:30p.m.
LODI--A fire at the Fat Boys Pizza in Lodi caused around $200,000 worth of damage--and law enforcers think the owner may have played a part.
46-year-old Thomas Matje of Deforest was arrested Wednesday and faces charges of arson, attempted arson and multiple counts of recklessly endangering safety.
The owner of another nearby business described the scene when she arrived at her shop yesterday morning: "That's when I saw the burnt items laying on the sidewalk and realized, so then of course I had to walk down and look and I was just astonished that you could not see into his business because it was just black," said Wendy Hunt, the owner of the Lodi Barber Shop. "And you could smell all the char and smoke and it was a sad thing to see."
Hunt says the business will be missed: she says more businesses brings more traffic which helps everybody--and adds that's why she feels sad about the fire at Fat Boys.
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Posted Wednesday, December 28, 2011 --- 4:25 p.m.
From the Office of the Attorney General's Office:
MADISON -- On December 27, 2011, at 12:42 p.m., the Lodi Fire Department responded to a call of a working fire at 133 South Main Street in the City of Lodi. Upon arrival, Fire Department Officials discovered flames in the kitchen area of the Fat Boys Pizza.
The building, which included two occupied apartments, was evacuated and the fire was extinguished quickly. One person was treated by EMS for smoke inhalation. Damage is estimated at approximately $200,000.
The Lodi Police Department, the DOJ-Division of Criminal Investigation, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives began an investigation of the fire.
The investigation produced evidence showing that the fire had been set intentionally.
The owner of Fat Boys Pizza, 46-year-old Thomas L. Matje of DeForest, was taken into custody on charges of Arson, Attempted Arson and four counts of Recklessly Endangering Safety.
Mr. Matje was arrested this afternoon and taken to the Columbia County Jail.
Other agencies providing assistance at the scene included Lodi Area EMS, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Lodi Department of Public Works, Lodi Utilities, and the Wisconsin State Patrol.
A defendant enjoys a presumption of innocence. The State must prove its allegations at trial.
