Man charged with arson after a 7 hour standoff in Poweshiek County

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A man is accused of starting several fires and shooting at deputies during a standoff in Poweshiek County. The sheriff’s office says the standoff lasted more than 7 hours.

The incident happened at this home about four miles southeast of Grinnell. Investigators say they first responded to the home around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after Dwaine Bauman’s family reported he was acting strangely with a gun.

The Sheriff’s Office says he set fire to a home, two vehicles, a barn, and almost 100 hay bales. A friend of Bauman’s says Bauman was upset over a hog confinement project in the area.

Tommy Hexter, the suspect’s friend, said, “He has a message to tell the entire world, he was willing to burn down his whole house, risk his life, fight the police, to free this land from industrial agriculture.”

Authorities took Bauman into custody shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday night. He is charged with three counts of second-degree arson and intimidation with a dangerous weapon. No one was hurt during this incident.

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