An Omaha man charged with felony 1st degree arson and six felony charges of Attempt to Commit murder will not face any prison time. According to court documents, 27-year old William C. Kautter appeared in Cass County District Court Monday and plead guilty to an amended charge of Arson in the 2nd degree. The remaining charges were dismissed. Judge Timothy O’Grady ordered Kautter to be committed to the Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections for a period not to exceed 10-years, and fined $1,000. The judge then suspended both the sentence and fine, and ordered the man placed on two-years of supervised probation. Kautter was ordered to pay all related court costs, attorney’s fees, and restitution to his victims, not to exceed $1,800 altogether. He was given credit for time already served. Kautter’s 29-year old wife Elizabeth was also facing a felony 1st degree arson charge, but those charges were previously dismissed.  All charges stem from a Dec. 2010 residential fire at 601 E. 6th Street, in Atlantic.

The homeowners, Myron and Jolynne Gill, along with one of their adult children and three juveniles, were in the home at the time, but all escaped without injury. Investigators determined gasoline was splashed across the front door and porch of the house and then set aflame. Complaints and Affidavits filed in coordination with the arrest of William and Elizabeth Kautter said prior to the fire, William Kautter had made several harassing phone calls, threatened physical harm and death to the Gill family. In addition, cell phone records showed the Kautter’s had traveled to Iowa from Omaha the night of the fire, and, Elizabeth Kautter was seen purchasing gasoline at an Atlantic area gas station on December 14th, 2010.

Cass County Dan Feistner said the charges were based on strong circumstantial evidence, but there was literally no “smoking gun” tying the defendants to the crime. It was more of a “Connect the dots” type investigation that took place over a long period of time. He said there was an ongoing feud between the defendants and the victims, which is not in dispute, but there is a long “Back story,” including the dealing of drugs, that would not have been a benefit in prosecuting the case.