Man found not responsible for burning down Nebraska church

Kearney, Neb. — A judge says a man accused of burning down a Nebraska church is not responsible by reason of insanity.

Forty-year-old Mathew Poehler, of Shelton, was charged with second-degree arson after investigators say he set a fire that destroyed the Zion Lutheran Church in rural Buffalo County on Dec. 11, 2019.

Poehler’s attorney argued that at the time of the fire, Poehler was suffering so severely from schizoaffective disorder that he didn’t know right from wrong.

Buffalo County District Judge John Marsh on Thursday ruled in favor of the insanity plea. He ordered a future court hearing to determine if Poehler was a danger to himself or others.