The Hamilton County Sheriff today released more information on the fire at a rural Stanhope home on Thursday. The following is from a press release from Sheriff Alex Pruismann.

“At 2:21 p.m., the Hamilton County dispatch center received an emergency 911 call about a house on fire. The residence is located at 2158 360th Street, Stanhope.

“When law enforcement arrived on scene, the residence was observed to be fully engulfed. Deputies observed multiple people on the property. One male stated, ‘There is a guy with a

gun and he appears to be intoxicated.’

“Law enforcement observed a male on the property with a shotgun in hand, actively drinking what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage. Deputies on scene attempted to communicate with the subject and demanded the subject drop the gun. The male did not comply and stated, ‘go home.’

“The male also stated, ‘no one else is in the house.’ It was known that he had multiple firearms on him or near him within close proximity.

“At this time, first arriving deputies requested additional units and had all fire units

standby near the scene for safety purposes. During this time, law enforcement again attempted negotiations and were not successful.

“A short while later a Hamilton County deputy was able to make contact with the male and communicate in close proximity with him.

“The male was identified as Cody Christensen. Cody lived at this residence. At 3:13 p.m., Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies and other law enforcement personnel were able to apprehend the subject.

“At no time did the subject point a weapon at law enforcement, fire personnel or other individuals.

“Cody Christensen was placed under arrest and transported to the Hamilton County Jail.

He is being charged with the following:

• Arson 2nd Degree — 712.3(1) Class C Felony

• Interference With Official Acts — 719. l(2)(f) Class D Felony

“The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the multiple agencies that assisted with this situation. Agencies involved were: Webster City Police Department, Iowa State Patrol and DCI, EJS Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa DNR, Stanhope Fire and Rescue and the Stratford Fire and Rescue.

“All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

Editor’s note: Christensen is 28 years old, according to the criminal complaint. He is not listed as the homeowner of 2158 360th Street, according to online Hamilton County Assessor’s records.

This corrects a previous version of the story that stated the homeowner was allegedly responsible for the fire.