KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) - An attorney for a man accused of setting a fire that destroyed a historic church in south-central Nebraska wants an evaluation to see if his client is mentally fit to stand trial.
Omaha attorney James Martin Davis, of Omaha, has filed a motion asking a judge to order a competency evaluation for Mathew Poehler, 40, of Shelton, the Kearney Hub reported.
Poehler has pleaded not guilty in Buffalo County District Court to second-degree arson for the Dec. 11 fire that destroyed Zion North Shelton Lutheran Church. The church, which was built in 1912, sat about 10 miles (16.1 kilometers) northwest of Shelton.
Police reports say an officer went to Poehler's house on Dec. 11 to check on his welfare after his family reported him missing the night before. The officer said Poehler had returned home, and that his shoes smelled of diesel fuel and a lighter was found in his front pants pocket.
Investigators say Poehler - who had done remodeling work a the church on several occasions - entered the church through an unlocked door with diesel fuel and started the fire in the balcony.