November trial set for accused Colfax arsonist

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE — A Dunn County Circuit Court judge has scheduled a trial in November for a 44-year-old woman accused of setting a house on fire in Colfax last May.

Judge Rod Smeltzer scheduled a two-day trial November 5 and November 6 for Beth Mittelstadt during a court hearing March 31.

Mittelstadt is charged with one Class C felony count of arson of a building in connection with a fire at 511 East Third Avenue in Colfax on May 24, 2014.

The house on Third Avenue was occupied by Katie Bundy.

Mittelstadt told investigators she had gone to the house to buy methamphetamine.

Mittelstadt said she had given Bundy $40 or $50 and that Bundy went to another location to get the meth.

After Bundy had been gone for a while, Mittelstadt told investigators she called her numerous times to find out where she was and that she was very upset about Bundy’s continued absence — so upset that she started breaking things in Bundy’s house.

Although a witness told investigators he had overheard Mittelstadt say to Bundy, “I’m burning your house down,” Mittelstadt denied having anything to do with the fire.

Mittelstadt also is charged with three felonies in connection with an incident in Colfax in December during which she allegedly threatened Colfax Police Chief Bill Anderson and other sheriff’s department deputies with a machete.

Police Chief Anderson, who  had gone to an apartment on Main Street to execute an arrest warrant for the arson, drew his duty weapon and shot Mittelstadt once.

As a result of the December incident, Mittelstadt is charged with one felony count of first degree attempted homicide and two felony counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety, along with one misdemeanor count of resisting an officer.

A final pre-trial hearing is scheduled in the arson case for October 23.

Mittelstadt remains in custody on a $10,000 cash bail.

Bundy was scheduled for a sentencing hearing April 6 on three felony counts of possession of methamphetamine, bail jumping and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.

Bundy was charged in January with additional felonies of possessing methamphetamine, possessing drug paraphernalia to manufacture or store methamphetamine, and eight felony counts of bail jumping.

For the most recent felonies, a $3,000 cash bail was set for Bundy January 14.