Man gets 7 years for arson at Grothman’s office

FOND DU LAC – Caiden Stachowicz, 20, was sentenced to seven years in prison and seven years of extended supervision for the January 2025 arson of a congressman’s office.

Stachowicz was convicted in November after a fire at a strip mall that included U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office on North Peters Avenue in the early morning of Jan. 19, 2025.

No one was injured in the fire, which was started in an electrical box behind the building to protest a vote on a TikTok ban.

“Political violence isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s an American issue,” said Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney said in a news release. “It must be taken seriously to protect our democratic republic and ensure that the best of America are willing to step up and serve their communities and our country.”

He added that he hopes the sentence acts as a deterrent to others and lets the community know they will be protected.

The fire occurred when the building was unoccupied. The damage included the exterior siding and an air conditioning unit.

The criminal complaint indicated Stachowicz set fire to the office because the congressman voted “Yes” to require a sale of the app TikTok, after which the app stopped working in the U.S. for several hours the night of the fire.

The Fond du Lac Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation.