Crossbow shooter sentenced to probation now faces arson charges
Nov. 28—OTTUMWA — A man who earlier this year received a suspended prison sentence over shooting his then-wife with a crossbow while she was asleep has now been charged with first-degree arson after a home fire last week.
George Edward Dennison, 67, of Ottumwa, was charged Tuesday by the Ottumwa Police Department with first-degree arson and two counts of animal abuse.
Police said at 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 21, they and the Ottumwa Fire Department were dispatched to 502 Wabash in Ottumwa for a house fire. The home's resident, 84-year-old Patricia Bird, had reported the fire and stated she was trapped inside the burning residence.
Crews arriving on the scene were able to break out a bedroom window and pull the victim to safety. She was treated and released from a local hospital. Two pet dogs died as a result of the fire.
Police said they arrested Dennison at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday and charged him in relation to the incident. He is the son of Bird and was living at her residence at the time of the fire. Court filings from officers say that their investigation concluded Dennison intention caused a fire with intent to destroy it, and his mother was asleep at the time.
The residence was deemed to be destroyed, according to court records.
Dennison is being held on a $35,000 cash only bond.
Dennison was charged in 2022 with attempted murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent and domestic abuse assault with intent to inflict serious injury. A plea agreement was reached, and Dennison in March pled guilty to the intimidation and going armed with intent charges, with the others to be dismissed. Judge Greg Milani sentenced him to two five-year sentences to run consecutively along with a two-year sentence from a harassment case around the same time, for a total of 12 years. The prison sentences were suspended and Dennison was instead placed on probation. The prison sentences can be imposed should the court decide to do so.
The sentence handed down by Milani followed the plea agreement that Dennison had reached with prosecutors at the time, according to court documents.
An investigation into the fire was conducted by the Ottumwa Police Department, Ottumwa Fire Department, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of the State Fire Marshall's Office.
Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.
