The Albert Lea man charged with first degree assault for allegedly lighting a woman on fire inside a house on Seventh Street last week has pleaded not guilty. Logan Netzer appeared on a brief Zoom hearing in front of Freeborn County District Court Judge Steve Schwab with his lawyer Evan Larson.
Court documents state Netzer allegedly threw a mixture of chemicals on the woman and lit her on fire with a butane torch after they had gotten into an argument. When first responders arrived at the house, the house was engulfed in flames.
The woman was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and was then flown to a burn unit at a Twin Cities hospital, according to the court complaint.
She sustained third degree burns to her hand and other more minor burns to other portions of her body. Reports said she had burns on approximately 12% of her body and lost skin on her hands due to the severe burns. Her conditions, as of last week, was unknown.