A Wisconsin man was arrested and charged with arson this week for allegedly setting a local strip club on fire – later telling police he torched the joint because they went “against his beliefs.”
Colton Jansen, 25, was nabbed by police on Tuesday after he was caught on surveillance footage using a propane torch to light a tissue box on fire after breaking into Shooter’s Showgirls in the Town of Elk Mound, according to the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office.
The accused arsonist allegedly told investigators that he wasn’t a fan of “those clubs” and found them “disgusting,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by multiple outlets.
Police, along with eleven local fire departments, responded to the jiggle joint around 5 a.m. on Jan. 18 after they were alerted by motorists on Interstate 94 that the structure was engulfed in flames, deputies said.
No injuries were reported, officials said, but the club has been shut down since the blaze.
Authorities recovered security footage, which captured Jansen in the venue attempting to break into an ATM, a pull tab dispenser and a stuffed animal claw machine with a metal bar before setting the club ablaze, according to the criminal complaint, WEAU reported.
The alleged firebug was later identified as a suspect after police tracked his car from the venue to his Comstock home using license plate readers.
Jansen initially denied any involvement and claimed his car had been stolen, but he allegedly later admitted to igniting the business due to his disdain for strip clubs, the outlet reported.
Police also seized the torch from his vehicle and boots that matched the one’s the suspect wore in the footage.
Jansen was charged with arson, burglary, and possession of burglarious tools, according to online court records.
He is due back in court on Jan. 28.
