Police Searching for Delusional Man Charged in Meadow Creek Condos Fire

Police are looking for a Hopkins man with a history of drug abuse and related mental health issues who is thought to have negligently started a fire, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Randall Ray Rosenow, 57, faces a felony charge of negligently causing a fire.

Officers encountered Rosenow on Dec. 19 when they went to Meadow Creek after seeing smoke coming from a building, Officer Raymond Laudenbach wrote in the criminal complaint. They saw flames coming from Rosenow’s patio door and recognized him from earlier contacts.

Rosenow initially said he was outside the building smoking and turned around to see his apartment full of smoke and in flames. He then changed his story and said he was inside the apartment when the smoke started and his apartment “burst into flames,” according to the court documents.

Officers took him to the to continue the interview because other residents were becoming angry with him. Rosenow said he fell asleep with a cigarette in his hand and woke up to find fire on the couch.

Police had talked with Rosenow the evening before the blaze. He told them at that time that he was dealing with a “savant” who was living inside of him, adding the savant was a female jet pilot he had dropped off at the airport.

Because officers thought Rosenow appeared delusional, they placed him on a 72-hour health and welfare hold. A search of his medical records found that he had a history of abusing methadone and benzodiazepines, according to the court documents. The delusions are caused by the substance abuse.

Rosenow is not in custody and his whereabouts are unknown.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to as many as three years in prison and fined $5,000.