A Mapleton teen has been charged with felony arson for allegedly participating in a vandalism spree that left three vacant houses burned and several sheep dead.

Anthony Allan Bach, 17, has been charged in juvenile court with second-degree arson, a felony, and a misdemeanor animal cruelty. Two alleged accomplices, 18-year-old Jacob John Thomas Maras and 18-year-old Blair Allen Oachs, both of Minnesota Lake, are facing felony first-degree arson and criminal damage to property charges in Faribault County.

Bach was charged last week and made his initial court appearance Wednesday. Maras and Oachs were charged in June and are awaiting trial.

The teens are accused of doing thousands of dollars in damage to several properties within a 10-mile radius of Minnesota Lake in May. They allegedly told investigators they were drinking when they set several fires, damaged other property and smashed several mailboxes.

Only Bach and Oachs allegedly beat about 10 lambs on the head with a baseball bat they had with them and a shovel they found at the barn where the sheep were kept, court records said.

According to investigators, Bach told them the group went back to their vehicle after Maras said, “This is sick, I gotta get away.” Oachs also told investigators Maras did not participate in killing the sheep, which were owned by an acquaintance of the teens.

Four of the lambs were dead when they were found May 7. Six more sheep had to be killed because of their severe injuries. All of the sheep had skull fractures from being beaten on the head, a veterinarian’s report said.

Each of the suspects told investigators the other two were responsible for most of the damage. Maras told investigators the hair on one of his legs was singed when Bach lit the floor of an old farmhouse on fire while the teens were still inside. Oachs had brought a gas can with and the fuel inside it was used to start the fires, court records said.

Blue Earth County detectives interviewed the suspects at Maple River High School on May 20 after Mapleton Police Chief Ben Honsey received an anonymous tip the teens were responsible for the vandalism. Honsey had been told Oachs had changed the tires on his car after learning deputies had found similar tire tracks at each of the crime scenes.

Before the interviews, the detectives checked Oachs’ car while it was in the school parking lot. They allegedly found a metal baseball bat that had damage consistent with being used to strike other metal objects. The car also had new tires, they reported.

Oachs later brought the detectives to his home and gave them a red gas can that was allegedly used to start one of the fires.