Teen pleads guilty of second degree arson in Madison County covered bridge burning

Angela Ufheil
The Des Moines Register

A teen charged with second-degree arson in the Madison County Bridge fire pleaded guilty Monday, a Madison County court clerk said.

Alivia Bergmann, 19, of Des Moines told a judge that she helped start the fire that destroyed the iconic covered Cedar Bridge in Madison County on April 15.

Madison County officials investigate a fire that destroyed the structure of the Cedar Covered Bridge, north of Winterset, Iowa, on Saturday, April 15, 2017. The fire was reported around 6 a.m., and was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived.

Bergmann was one of three teens arrested following the fire. Alexander Hoff, 17, of West Des Moines was originally charged with first-degree arson, but the charge was dropped to second-degree arson. 

Joel Davis, 18, of Norwalk was also charged with second-degree arson. Both Hoff and Davis will be tried as adults.

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Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes previously described the nature and motive for the arson. He said Davis and Bergmann both put lighter fluid on the bridge, while Hoff lit it on fire.

"There was an ex-girlfriend that Hoff had a relationship with, and that bridge was significant to their relationship," Barnes said.