A person is guilty of Des Moines IA arson when he or she willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned or who aids, counsels, or procures the burning of, any structure, forestland, or property.
(a) Des Moines Arson that causes great bodily injury is a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for five, seven, or nine years.
(b) Des Moines Arson that causes an inhabited structure or inhabited property to burn is a felony punishable by imprisonment in Des Moines Iowa prison for three, five, or eight years.
(c) Des Moines Arson of a structure or forestland is a Des Moines Iowa felony punishable by imprisonment in the Des Moines IA prison for two, four, or six years.
(d) Des Moines Arson of property is a felony punishable by imprisonment in Des Moines Iowa prison for 16 months, two, or three years. For purposes of this paragraph, arson of property do not include one burning or causing to be burned his or her own personal property unless there is intent to defraud or there is injury to another person or another person's structure, forestland, or property.
The crime of arson in Des Moines IA is punishable by prison. Because of the ease with which fire spreads in our local climate and the potential for Des Moines wildfires burning out of control, the crime of Arson is aggressively prosecuted in Des Moines no matter which state or which Des Moines you reside in.
If you have been accused of Des Moines arson, or are being investigated for the crime of arson, you can expect to be investigated by skilled arson investigators, in addition to detectives and police. Des Moines IA Law enforcement will begin gathering evidence immediately when called to investigate a fire.