A rural Anoka County man was charged Friday, April 13, with felony arson and assault after he allegedly set an RV and a house on fire, then attacked two firefighters who responded to the scene earlier this week.
Jon Vernon Tuma, 39, of Linwood Township was charged with two counts of first-degree arson and two counts of second-degree assault Friday in Anoka County District Court. Bail was set at $1 million. At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Anoka County sheriff’s deputies and the Linwood Fire Department responded to a report of an RV fire on a property in the 5900 block of 213th Lane, according to the complaint.
As the firefighters were putting out the RV fire, they noticed smoke coming from the house on the property. Two firefighters went to investigate and encountered Tuma, the son of the homeowners. The firefighters, who evacuated the homeowners, then told Tuma to leave the house.