Northern Minnesota Man Accused Of Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend, Setting Her Home On Fire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A northern Minnesota man is in jail after he allegedly sneaked into his ex-girlfriend's home this week, assaulted her and, after she had escaped to call police, set her home on fire.

The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office says the victim contacted them Tuesday evening, reporting that she'd escaped her Arago Township home after she found 52-year-old Douglas Young, her ex-boyfriend, inside, where he assaulted her and tried to stab her.

Deputies responded to the home and saw Young inside, recognizing him from past incidents. They also learned that there was a gun in the house.

For hours, officials tried to communicate with Young, but their efforts proved unsuccessful. They then noticed that he was lighting objects in the home on fire. The flames eventually grew into a large conflagration at the back of the house.

Young fled the building soon after the fire grew large, and deputies quickly arrested him.

Young is being held in the Hubbard County Jail. He is charged with several counts of burglary, assault and arson, according to a criminal complaint. If convicted, he faces decades in prison.

Although the fire crews knocked down the flames, the home sustained extensive damage, the sheriff's office says.