Man Charged With 2nd Degree Arson Near Park Rapids

A man was charged with 2nd Degree Arson last week after officers suspected he willfully set his wife’s Homeland Security vehicle on fire.

On July 17th at 11:04 a.m., the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a car fire at a residence just southwest of Park Rapids in Straight River Township. Those who reported the fire also stated that there was a man at the scene who said that he just burned his wife’s Homeland Security vehicle.

When deputies and fire personnel arrived, officers found a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox fully engulfed in flames. One of the homeowners, 51-year-old Robert Ecker, was also present. Deputies took Ecker into custody on suspicion of arson. Ecker’s wife is employed by the State of MN Department of Public Safety with the Division of Homeland Security.

Ecker was transported to the Hubbard County Jail where he was arraigned on charges of 2nd Degree Arson the next day. Ecker has since been released on bail.

The investigation is being conducted by the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office.