Kearney, Neb. — 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.
The Kearney Hub reports that Omaha attorney James Martin Davis, of Omaha, has asked a judge to order a competency evaluation for 40-year-old Mathew Poehler, of Shelton.
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 northwest of Shelton.
