The City of Jefferson will be taking ownership of the former Pizza Ranch building on North Wilson Street, after a unanimous vote by the city council to accept it in the form of a gift from previous owner, Robert Schultz of Ankeny. The city has identified a goal of repairing the damage done in an early morning fire on Jan. 27, 2016 to resell the property and recover the estimated $80,000 to $90,000 in costs for repairs. The 53-year-old Schultz was the prime suspect in an arson investigation into the fire, and entered and Alford plea on Dec. 13, 2016 in Greene County District Court. Schultz was sentenced to five years in prison for a criminal mischief charge and two years for an arson charge, but was placed on probation for three years on the first count and two on the second. Schultz was not able to collect any money for the damages that occurred to the Pizza Ranch building because of the nature of the crimes, but the lienholder was covered on the loss.
