Shortly after 12:00 noon Friday, the Sturgeon Bay Police Department announced the arrest of a man associated with the Tuesday morning fire at Butch’s Bar that claimed the lives of two men and and sent another to a Milwaukee burn center. 57 year-old Anthony Gonzalez, who was a tenant living upstairs of Butch’s, was taken into custody Thursday without incident and transported to the Door County Jail.
After multiple interviews and investigation into the cause of the fire, Gonzalez was arrested for 2 counts of 2nd degree reckless homicide, a class D felony, and 5 counts of 2nd degree reckless endangering safety, a class G felony. He was also charged with negligent handling of a burning material. Gonzalez appeared via zoom to his Friday afternoon bond hearing.
Judge D. Todd Ehlers set his cash bond at $250,000, and his initial appearance in the circuit court is scheduled for 11:45AM this Monday. Gonzalez is also to have no contact with the families of the victims.
