Hudson parole office hit with vehicle, incendiary device

The front door of a state probation and parole office in Hudson, Wis. was smashed with a vehicle and the lobby set afire early morning Monday morning.

Suspects are being sought in connection to the incident, which occurred just after 6:15 a.m. No one was inside the office at the time.

Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen said someone used a vehicle to smash the building's doors, and then tossed an incendiary device into the foyer before slashing the tires on several state vehicles.

"We've collected quite a bit of evidence at the scene. The sprinkler system actually put the fire out right away so we were able to collect some evidence that was there," Jensen said. "It's our hope that we'll be able to wrap this up in the next few weeks."

There were no surveillance cameras at the scene, Jensen said, but investigators are checking others nearby. He said probation officers pointed police to possible suspects.

The building also includes a driver's license office and other state services and was closed for the day. The office's 12 staff worked from the St. Croix County Sheriff's department on Monday, Wisconsin Corrections Department Regional Chief Gena Jarr said. She's not sure when staff will be able to resume normal business at the office.

"We have backup plans in place for offsite reporting for offenders and we'll be moving forward with that in the next few days."