Greenfield man accused of setting fire; attempting to punch neighbor

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Kevin Harlfinger

GREENFIELD, Wis. - A 47-year-old Greenfield man has been criminally charged, accused of setting his garage on fire before attempting to punch his neighbor. The accused is Kevin Harlfinger. 

Prosecutors say the fire started on a table and lawn equipment within the garage. Harlfinger then allegedly entered his neighbor's home and swung at him. 

Case details

The backstory:

According to the criminal complaint, on Thursday, March 6, around 8:28 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence on 45th Street near Anthony Drive. The caller reported that her neighbor, identified as Kevin Harlfinger, entered her house and attempted to punch her husband. 

When the officer arrived at the scene, the garage at Harlfinger's residence was engulfed in flames. The garage was destroyed. 

The house at that address, which is a multifamily address, had melted siding and other fire damage. At the time of the fire, the upstairs unit at this address was occupied by a woman and her children, court filings say. The woman was informed of the fire by her downstairs neighbor and evacuated the home with her children.

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The house next door, which is owned by the woman who initially called police, also had melted siding and other fire damage.

A witness told police that she observed Harlfinger that night in the garage, and when she saw him, the lawnmower and a table were on fire, according to the complaint. 

The witness claims she asked Harlfinger what he was doing, and he responded, "I’m sick of this garage…it’s going to go up, boom," the complaint states. The witness claims Harlfinger then ran to the neighbor's house. 

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Per the complaint, Harlfinger entered his neighbor's house and swung at the male resident, trying to punch him. 

The next day, Harlfinger contacted Greenfield police to turn himself in. In the interview, he claimed to not remember clearly the previous day, nor could he explain why the fire started, only that it was an accident, the complaint states. 

The Fire Scene Investigator determined the fire was started by gasoline and an unknown fire starter. The fire started on a table and lawn equipment within the garage, court filings say.

In custody

What we know:

Harlfinger is charged with the following:

• Second degree recklessly endangering safety
• Unsafe burning of buildings
• Criminal trespass

Harlfinger made his initial appearance in court on March 12.