Additional Charges Filed in February Spencer Firebombing
SPENCER, IA (Northwestiowanow) — Additional charges have been filed in connection with a February firebombing incident at a Spencer apartment.
The charges stem from a February 19 incident in which police were called to an apartment in the 700 block of East Eighth Avenue after reports that gasoline-filled Molotov cocktails had been thrown through a window, setting the structure on fire.
Responding officers found a shattered window, an intact bottle containing a clear liquid inside the apartment, and a partially burned bottle outside. Authorities say the attack started a small fire inside the residence.
According to court records, 26-year-old Walker Lee Hollenbeck faces four counts of attempted murder and one count of first-degree arson, all Class B felonies. Investigators allege Hollenbeck constructed the devices and carried out the attack.
46-year-old Lonn Allan Whitford Jr. of Sioux City has also been charged with aiding and abetting first-degree arson. Authorities allege Whitford helped plan the incident, including scouting the residence and assisting Hollenbeck beforehand.
The February 19 fire caused damage to the apartment, but no fatalities were reported.
Previously, 27-year-old Diamond Lynn James of Burt was charged with first-degree arson in connection with the same incident.
