Woman Sentenced for Burning Down Stearns County Man’s House

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A woman formerly of North Dakota who burned down a Stearns County man's home has been sentenced.

A Stearns County judge has given 40-year-old Jamie Lynn Morin a term of three years and two months in the women's state prison on Shakopee. She gets credit for already serving five months of that sentence.

Morin pleaded guilty to one count of 1st-degree arson in June after a mental competency exam found her competent.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the home along 248th Avenue in Krain Township back on April 6th. A deputy arrived to find the home fully engulfed and black smoke coming from the attic.

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The deputy made contact with Morin who, court records show, admitted she had started the fire and that no one was inside. When the deputy asked her why and how she had started the fire, she made comments about being kidnapped and using a propane torch.

The homeowner arrived on the scene and told deputies he had met the woman in North Dakota and brought her back to Minnesota to live with him. They had been together for approximately one month.

The owner said he went to work that day and left Morin at the house. He wasn't aware the house was on fire until a neighbor called to alert him.

Evidence found at the scene found by the State Fire Marshal matched the woman's story about how the fire started.

The house is considered a complete loss.