New Ulm woman sentenced to probation for arson

(New Ulm, MN) – A 57-year-old woman has will serve probation for arson at her New Ulm home.

Maureen Adniva Blank, 57, was sentenced in Brown County Court Wednesday to three years of supervised probation. Blank pled guilty to felony third-degree arson in a plea deal signed in April. Two other charges were dismissed as part of the agreement. Blank’s arson conviction will be completely dismissed if she successfully completes the requirements of her probation. She must also pay $1,075 in fines and undergo a mental health evaluation.

Court documents say that firefighters responded to a blaze at Blank’s North Jefferson Street home in April 2018. Investigators found four locations where fires had been lit in various areas of the home.

Blank told investigators she awoke several times throughout the night to smoke alarms, but had used a broom to knock the alarm off the ceiling, then removed the battery so she could sleep. She denied smelling smoke, but told police the house was foggy.

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