St. Cloud man declared unfit to stand trial in arson case, ordered to undergo drug treatment

(KNSI) – A St. Cloud man charged in two separate arson cases this year will not face trial.

James John Arthur Lund was found incompetent to stand trial after failing a Rule 20 exam. The results were released Friday. Lund was also charged with possession of illegal narcotics. He is undergoing county-supervised drug treatment.

Lund is accused of setting fire to a stranger's car at Walgreens on Division Street on June 17. He fled the scene but was caught about a block away.

Lund was released on bail and then allegedly set fire to his apartment in the 500 block of 8th Avenue South on July 2. No one was injured, but five apartments were deemed uninhabitable after sustaining significant damage.

Lund was allegedly caught on surveillance camera attempting to start a fire outside the apartment door across the street. Lund left the building, and when his roommate came home and opened the door, a wall of smoke was billowing from inside. Lund was picked up a few blocks from the apartment building.

Investigators say they were able to determine that the fire broke out on the floor between a mounted air conditioner and the refrigerator. The appliances were in perfect working order, so the fire could not have started on its own. They also noticed a threat scrawled on the wall against the judge in his first case.

When Lund was arrested, he blamed drones for the apartment fire. He will be questioned again in the future, but until then the court is upholding all charges.

___

Copyright 2024 Leighton Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be broadcast, published, redistributed or rewritten in any way without permission.