A 31-year-old Norwalk Iowa, man – a suspect in a homicide and arson case – has been sentenced to up to five years in prison for a different charge.

Trevor Ward appeared Dec. 21, 2022, with his attorney in Clinton County Court, court records show.

Ward waived a pre-sentence investigation after he pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing serious injury. He was sentenced to up to five years in the Iowa Department of Corrections, with credit for time he served in Clinton County Jail in connection with the case.

A DNA profile was ordered for Ward.

Ward’s jury trial in the arson and homicide case is tentatively set to begin Aug. 21 in Clinton County Court.

The incident in March 2022

Responders found a deceased man at a fire scene on March 26, 2022. Firefighters and police responded to a 911 call about a structure fire at 78 31st Ave. N., a news release says.

When emergency responders arrived, “their attention was drawn” to an apartment where fire crews quickly extinguished the fire, the release says.

A deceased man – 41-year-old Dustin Christopher Doran, formerly of Newton, Iowa – was found inside the apartment, the release says.

According to the release, Clinton Police Department, Clinton Fire Department, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Clinton Medical Examiner, Clinton County Attorney’s Office, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner launched a criminal investigation.

The Iowa State Medical Examiner, who performed an autopsy, ruled the manner of Doran’s death a homicide, the release says.

Later, Clinton Police, along with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, arrested Ward.

This story has been updated to clarify the two cases involved.