Man Accused of Lighting His Home on Fire Found Incompetent to Stand Trial

(KNSI) — The Paynesville man accused of setting his trailer on fire in July has been found incompetent to stand trial.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Stearns County, police responded to a trailer fire in the 400 block of Minnie Street in the early morning hours of July 8th. They found the trailer fully engulfed in flames when they arrived and saw 42-year-old Nicholas Kevin Voss standing nearby. Police confirmed that the trailer was his, and they say Voss told them he started it with gasoline and a lighter. Officers say Voss smelled like gasoline and had a lighter in his possession when he was booked into the Stearns County jail and charged with first-degree arson.

Earlier this year, Voss was also arrested for having methamphetamine on him during a violent outburst at his home. April 8th, a neighbor called police after Voss threw a branch and an aerosol can at his trailer. He said he and his family were nervous because Voss was very agitated. Officers saw insulation exposed on one side of Voss’s trailer. They also noticed sheet metal had been ripped off the underside of the house, multiple windows had been broken on the home and a window on Voss’s vehicle was also shattered.

Once inside the trailer, police say Voss told them he could hear someone being raped and that the water heater was moving. Investigators say they checked, and the water heater was not moving, but Voss had retreated to an area where there were screwdrivers, a hammer and a utility knife. Police say they also saw metallic objects in his back pocket. They removed Voss from his trailer and placed him under arrest.

The criminal complaint says Voss had six throwing knives in his pocket and had 1.3 grams of a substance that field tested positive for meth. He was booked into the Stearns County jail and charged with drug possession.

Voss, who has schizophrenia, was ordered to undergo a Rule 20 hearing in July to determine if he was competent to stand trial. In court papers filed Tuesday in Stearns County, Voss was found to be “mentally ill, or cognitively impaired such that they are incompetent to proceed” on both the arson and the drug charges. Assistant Stearns County Attorney Kyle Triggs says they will retain the right to prosecute Voss once he regains competency.

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