Man arrested following domestic situation in Rochester, fire in Pine Island

Oct. 21—PINE ISLAND — A man was taken into custody early Thursday after law enforcement said a domestic situation that began in Rochester ended in a fire, suspected to be arson, at a townhome in Pine Island.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about 4:05 a.m. Thursday at the townhomes on Seventh Avenue Southwest in Pine Island from a woman requesting that a man be removed from her home. Deputies learned that a domestic situation between the two started in Rochester and ended at the Pine Island residence, according to a news release from the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.

Rochester police Capt. Casey Moilanen wrote in an email that the woman was "assaulted and forcefully taken from a home" in Northwest Rochester and brought to the residence in Pine Island.

The woman was able to leave the residence, but the man remained inside and refused to leave. An undisclosed amount of time later, deputies observed fire and smoke coming from the residence. The neighboring attached townhomes were evacuated because of the fire. A news release from the Pine Island Fire Department said the fire was suspicious in nature and that arson was suspected. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The man eventually left the home, was taken into custody and taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys for evaluation.

The Sheriff's Office said charges are pending in Rochester and Goodhue County, but did not provide any detail on what those charges may be.

The Zumbrota police and fire departments, as well as the Pine Island Fire Department, also responded to the call.