Man Gets 10 Years In Cass County Arson

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in jail in connection with a Cass County arson back in January.

Brandon Todd Sannan was sentenced in Cass County Court to six years in jail on one count of third-degree attempted murder and four years on one count of arson.

Sannan had been accused of intentionally setting fire to a home on Jan. 8, knowing that people lived there. The homeowners, Timothy and Carla Voelke, called the fire in at about 12:16 a.m. that day in the city of Chickama Beach.

When authorities arrived to the scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames and ended up being a total loss. An investigation of the fire showed that the Voelke's were home with seven children, including six grandchildren, at the time of the fire. Everyone was able to get out safely.

According to the complaint, the couple's adult daughter had recently ended a relationship with Sannan and he had become extremely possessive of her. The complaints states he would send her as many as 100 text messages a day. He pleaded with her to continue the relationship on the night of Jan. 7, and some of the texts became threatening towards the girl.

According to the complaint, Sannan sent the girl a text message the morning of Jan. 8, apologizing for what he had done.

Sannan later admitted to police that he stole a lighter and gas can, walked over to residence and started it on fire.