A Galesburg man pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, aggravated arson, unlawful restraint, and aggravated sexual criminal assault of a minor.
Jason D. Fielder, 46, entered his plea Monday in Knox County court at a preliminary hearing after Judge Chad Long found probable cause for the case to proceed.
Fielder is accused of entering the home of his former girlfriend in the 200 block of Highland Avenue around 5 a.m. on Aug. 15 and assaulting her teenage daughter.
Galesburg Police Department Detective Andrew Swanson testified at the hearing that surveillance video shows Fielder entering the back door of the home that morning, then shows him letting the family’s dogs out the front door.
Swanson said Fielder used zip ties to restrain the victim before assaulting her in her bedroom, then tied her to a wooden pole in the basement of the home before setting fire to the kitchen island and leaving the residence.
Firefighters responded to the residence around 7:39 a.m. for a report of a house fire. They found the victim in the basement, released her, and took her to the hospital for treatment.
The victim’s phone was found submerged in water in the kitchen sink.
Following an investigation, Fielder was located at Sandburg Village apartments, 672 Home Blvd., and arrested. He remains in custody at the Knox County jail.
Swanson testified that data from Fielder’s phone shows him moving from Home Boulevard to Highland Avenue and back to Home Boulevard that morning.
He said Fielder and the victim’s mother were in a relationship for three years, but the relationship ended in April.
A status hearing is set for Oct. 8.
