According to a complaint and affidavit filed in Sioux County District Court, Jared Kenneth Ehrp, 24, and Bradley James Emerson, 23, both of Sioux Center, allegedly caused the fire by placing an unknown fireworks device in the library’s drop box. The pair face up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 if convicted.
“I guess I am relieved in a way that they found them, but I am saddened for their families,” Library Director Karen Bjorkman said in the August 14 Sioux City Journal. “We are talking about a 23-year-old and a 24-year-old. I guess I wouldn’t feel so bad if it was children or kids who didn’t recognize the consequences of their actions—but these are adults.”
The city has temporarily located the library in a community center with 1,500 books on the shelves from its original 40,000-volume collection.
Posted August 18, 2003.