DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KFGO) – A jury has convicted an Elk River, Minnesota man of first-degree arson for a Sept. 2018 fire at The Refuge Christian Outreach Center in Detroit Lakes.
Gary Bogatz was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
According to the complaint, investigators matched a fingerprint on a door handle to Bogatz and he later admitted to his involvement in the fire. He told investigators that he was asked by a board member of The Refuge Center and another person to start the fire using gasoline. He suggested that it was an attempt to collect insurance money.
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald says he won’t comment on the case until sentencing. That is scheduled for July 13.
