Father charged with child endangerment now faces arson charges

CEDAR RAPIDS - A father already charged with child endangerment last year failed to appear in court Thursday on additional charges for threatening to burn down his home while his children were inside.

Jeremiah Usher, 36, was charged last week with first-degree arson, threats of arson and four counts of first-degree harassment in Linn County District Court. He is accused of starting a fire with an empty cigarette carton and throwing it in one of his children's bedrooms on July 8, 2016, a criminal complaint shows. 

According to the complaint, Usher, intended to intimidate, annoy or alarm his four children by stating he would burn down the home with them inside.   

Assistant Linn County Attorney Rena Schulte said Usher didn't show up for his appearance Thursday. He has been on pretrial release on a $20,000 bond since last August for the other charges.

Sixth Judicial Associate District Judge Casey Jones, on Friday, issued a warrant for Usher's arrest on failure to appear and ordered a $75,000 cash only bond.  

Schulte, who wasn't the original prosecutor on the case when it started, said she didn't know why the arson and harassment charges were not filed back in August.

Usher was charged in August with child endangerment causing bodily injury and three counts of child endangerment. He caused bodily injury to one minor son and 'created substantial risk to the physical, mental or emotional health and safety” of his other three children, the complaint shows.

Schulte said the children range in age from 5 to 14 at the time of the incidents. All four are in foster care.

Trial on the child endangerment charges is set for May 15. A trial date on the arson charges won't be set until Usher has been arraigned.

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