Sterling man charged with setting October house fire in Galt

STERLING – A Sterling man was charged in Whiteside County on Thursday in connection with an October fire that destroyed a Galt home.

Rodney Swan, 25, charged with felony aggravated arson/knowing people were present, residential arson and arson, is accused of starting an Oct. 8 fire at 5403 Anne St. in Galt that sent two people to the hospital.

Sterling and Rock Falls firefighters were called to the home at 10 p.m. Oct. 8. When they arrived, firefighters found heavy fire showing from multiple doors and windows and a live electrical utility wire down on the driveway, according to a city of Sterling news release. Ten other fire departments soon were called to the scene to help fight the blaze.

While fire companies were en route, police were outside of the residence with a woman who lived at the home and was suffering smoke inhalation. She was taken to CGH Medical Center. A man who lived at the residence and who was home at the time of the fire drove himself to the hospital.

According to court documents filed Thursday, the home was owned by Mary Parker. Patrick Parker and Erin Scott lived at the residence.

Firefighters’ access to the burning structure was hampered by heavy damage and the number of items inside the home, according to the release.

The fire was under control by about 3 a.m, according to the release. Fire crews remained at the scene until about 5 a.m. to assist the state fire marshal. The building was declared uninhabitable and a total loss.

According to court documents, Swan on Thursday was given a notice to appear in Whiteside County Circuit Court on March 17.

Swan currently is being held in the Whiteside County Jail, where he has been detained since Jan. 11 for a December case. Those charges, filed Jan. 8, include possession of a firearm as a felon, reckless discharge of a firearm and reckless conduct/great bodily harm. In that case, Swan had placed a loaded gun in his waistband and the gun discharged into his right thigh as he was pulling up his pants, according to court documents.

That shooting happened Dec. 20 when he was on pretrial release in a June case accusing him of one count of possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He is to appear in court March 19 for that case as well as for pretrial conferences in three other cases: a November 2022 case accusing him of possession of meth and driving while license suspended, an October 2022 case accusing him of burglary, criminal trespass to a building and resisting a police officer, and a May 2022 case in which burglary and criminal trespass charges were filed against him.