Man charged with Monona County fairgrounds fire intends to plead guilty in federal court
ONAWA, Iowa (KTIV) - A Northwest Iowa man intends to plead guilty in federal court after a fire he’s accused of starting destroyed a county fair grandstand.
On Friday, Sept. 25, federal officials say 43-year-old David Bryan of Onawa, Iowa, charged in relation to the January 2026 fire at the Monona County Fairgrounds, has filed a notice to plead guilty to one of his three federal charges.
Federal court documents state Bryan intends to plead guilty to one count of Malicious Use of a Fir, which is one of three federal charges filed against Bryan. Under federal law, Bryan could receive five to twenty years in prison for the charge.
The other charges include one count of receipt and possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of making an unregistered destructive device.
Federal officials say Bryan is pleading guilty pursuant to a plea agreement. Court documents did not set a date for when Bryan will officially submit his guilty plea. His trial was expected to take place in November 2026.
Bryan’s federal charges were filed in June 2026.
Charges dropped against David Bryan in state court
Judges have dismissed the charges filed against Bryan in state court, according to court documents filed in June 2026. The state charges were one count of arson and one count of criminal mischief.
In March 2026, Bryan entered a plea of not guilty to these state charges.
David Bryan’s arrest
Bryan was arrested by law enforcement for an unrelated incident while law enforcement was responding to an assault on Thursday, Jan. 29.
Shortly after 2 p.m., an Onawa resident saw Bryan near his property. At the time, he reportedly started to run towards the resident’s vehicle with a stick.
According to previous coverage, when first responders arrived on scene, investigators at the time said that Bryan had climbed an old grain elevator and blocked the ladder with plywood. He climbed down after about two hours.
The Monona County Fairgrounds Grandstand Fire
In the federal indictment, Bryan is accused of using a Molotov Cocktail, an improvised incendiary device, to set fire to the century-old grandstand at the Monona County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
At about 6:15 p.m., reports started to come in about a fire at the Monona County Fairgrounds.
While en route to the call, crews were told that the grandstand bleachers were on fire. When responders arrived, they determined it to be a “fully involved” fire.
The Monona County Fair Board estimated over a million dollars in damages due to the fire. At the time, the grandstand fire was one of three suspicious fires reported in Monona County.
Community rallies to rebuild grandstand
Community rallies together to rebuild century-old grandstand
After the fire took place, Monona County residents were already looking to rebuild the old grandstand. The cost of the new grandstand was estimated to be between $750,000 and $1 million.
Later in the year, a ribbon-cutting was held to not only kick off the Monona County Fair but also celebrate the reopening of the new grandstands.
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