An Ozark County man who allegedly burned four structures on a property in which he was living has been found incompetent to stand trial for arson.
Ozark County Times reports 31-year-old Christopher Patrick Thorne has been remanded to the custody of the Missouri Department of Health. A Springfield doctor recommended Thorne receive treatment and competency restoration in a secure psychiatric facility.
In a hearing in late July, Judge Cynthia Macpherson said the court found Thorne to lack the capacity to understand the charges against him.
Thorne's charges have been suspended and he is in the custody of the Director of the Department of Mental Health. The director is to report to court in December to determine whether Thorne has regained his competency to stand trial.
Thorne's arrests came after four separate fires occurred on the property of where he was living. The fires reportedly destroyed an outhouse, a barn, a storage building and a home.
Thorne was developed as a suspect after the owner of the property said he believed it was Thorne because he was on the scene of each fire minutes before the fires occurred.
Thorne originally denied any knowledge of how the fires started. Later, Thorne admitted to investigators he had started the fire in the house but it was an accident. Later in the interview, Thorne stated he didn't know why he started the fires but felt he may need to be on medication. The officer conducting the interview said he believes Thorne could suffer from some type of mental issue.
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