Roberts Man Pleads Guilty to Arson at St. Croix Central Elementary School

The 25-year-old Roberts man who was arrested this spring following an arson investigation at St. Croix Central Elementary School has pleaded guilty.

Justin Walter Nelson on Friday in St. Croix County Court pleaded guilty to arson, according to court records. That April 30 act of arson resulted in millions of dollars in damage, and more than 600 elementary school students to finish the year at Camp Rolling Ridges in Hudson.

Charges of burglary, criminal damage to property and possession of marijuana were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Police say Nelson was at a party about a block away from the school on April 29, when he became upset and left.

According to the complaint, Nelson broke into the school through a skylight, started a fire in the principal’s office and allegedly stole prescription drugs from the nurse’s office.

About $4 million in work to repair the damages happened during the summer, according to the Pioneer Press. Students did return to the building on Tuesday for the first day of school.

"People were a little bit surprised that we were as far along as we were," Principal Heidi Weisert-Peatow told the Pioneer Press. "It's been a great opening."

Crews continue to repair damage in the school's office, computer lab and library with the hope of completion by November.