Four charged in Unidoor fire make court appearance

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

GAYLORD -- The four women accused of starting an April fire at the Unidoor Plant in Gaylord were allowed to go free without bail after a short court hearing Thursday morning.

The fire caused damages in excess of $2 million to the plant on April 20.

The four -- Judy Winkelmann, 21, Angela Manteuffel, 25, both of Gaylord; Nicole Raduenz, 18, of Silver Lake and Toni Benjamin, 18, of Glencoe -- are each charged with one count of first-degree arson and one count of third-degree burglary in Sibley County District Court. Winkelmann and Manteuffel are facing additional first-degree arson charges.

Sibley County District Judge Thomas McCarthy ordered all four released without bail, provided they don't have contact with Unidoor employees, follow the laws, abstain from mood-altering substances and stay in Minnesota. Authorities have said they do not believe any of the four suspects, who have not been in custody, will fail to show up for future court appearances, since most of them live in the Gaylord area.

Court complaints claim Winkelmann, a former employee of Unidoor, enlisted the help of the others to help vent her anger at her former employer while all four were allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

At the request of Sibley County Attorney David Schauer, McCarthy warned the defendants about trying to intimidate witnesses. Schauer said, "I do have some concerns at this point, given who the witnesses will be" but did not elaborate on those concerns. He said the four women were released without posting bail because they showed up for the hearing voluntarily.

"...And, with the way the investigation went, we knew they weren't going to run," he said.

The fire is the only one of three seemingly suspicious cases that happened on three consecutive weekends in Sibley County where authorities have brought formal charges. Fire destroyed a grain elevator in nearby Winthrop exactly one week later and police reported an attempted arson at a lumber yard in Arlington, which is four miles northeast of Gaylord, the week after that report. Authorities have said that they do not believe the three incidents are connected.

Deputy Fire Marshal Casey Stotts said that the team of investigators, which includes agents from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, is making progress very gradually. Stotts said the team is still getting leads and are pursuing more information on the cause of the Winthrop fire and have not yet identified a possible suspect in the attempted arson in Arlington.

A police officer with the Arlington-Green Isle Police Department recently said the investigation into that attempt has been turned over to the Sibley County Sheriff's Department. Sibley County Investigator Ellard Mathwig said Thursday morning that he had no update to report on that case.

McCarthy asked the four women to return for another hearing on Oct. 2, at which time the court will hear the state's reasons for bringing the charges. Defense attorneys will also have an opportunity to discuss any issues they have with the investigation.

Attorney Anthony Nerud of Le Center, who is representing Raduenz, said he preferred not to discuss Raduenz's case publicly, but said his client is very upset at the charges against her.

"This has had an enormous effect on her," Nerud said. "I respect Unidoor's loss too; there is no winner in this case. But life for her will never be the same."