3 in Jail After Setting a Fire in a Brainerd Hospital

Essentia Health representatives say the fire was started and contained to a patient’s room here in the Grace Unit on the fourth floor. Today patients who are normally cared for in this wing have been relocated and replaced with drying fans. And the reps say the suspects used the hospitals safety system to escape.

Brainerd’s police chief Corky McQuiston says they were able to get a license plate from the getaway car and that’s what lead to their arrest. Essentia Health doctors say their staff did a great job pulling together to not let their quality of care drop during the fire. And they’re very close to being back to business as usual. The three suspects arrested are a 17-year-old female, 18-year-old Raegan Sjolund and 24-year-old Jonathn Erickson. Both adults were transferred today to Crow Wing County Jail.