AUBURN (AP) — A judge has ruled that a 23-year-old Lewiston man charged with setting a fire in the city in May that destroyed three apartment buildings is incompetent to stand trial.
A judge ruled that Bryan Wood is incompetent based on his low IQ and inability to fully understand the criminal proceedings against him.
At a hearing last week, three psychologists who evaluated Wood said he appeared to lack the necessary reasoning skills to stand trial.
The Sun Journal reports that according to the judge’s order, Wood will be released from jail and transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services for evaluation. He can be held for no more than a year.
Wood denied setting the fire in a videotaped interview with an investigator.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less