Markiesha Blackman, 30, of Lima, has been found to be incompetent to stand trial on charges of aggravated arson.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima woman who police say attempted to set a West O’Connor Street residence on fire with the knowledge there were people inside the dwelling has been found not competent to stand trial.
Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser said during a Thursday hearing that Dr. Kara Marciani at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio in Dayton determined that Markiesha Blackman is believed to have suffered a traumatic brain injury and is unlikely to be restored to competency in the near future.
Blackman, 30, was indicted by an Allen County grand jury in January on four first-degree felony counts of aggravated arson and one second-degree felony count of arson.
According to court records, Lima police and fire units were dispatched on Nov. 11, 2022, to 125 W. O’Connor Avenue in reference to a house fire. Police were the first to arrive and neighbors told officers there were several people in the house. All occupants escaped the home safely, but one resident was forced to jump from a second-floor window to escape the blaze.
Police were advised that Blackman was in the home prior to the fire and that she was the one who had intentionally started the blaze on an enclosed back porch, court documents show.
The woman reportedly told police she was angry because of a physical altercation earlier that day with two occupants of the home and, in an effort to exact revenge, she stacked some boxes on the porch and lit them on fire. Blackman said she didn’t think about the fact that the fire could seriously hurt or kill the occupants of the home, according to court documents.
In light of the psychological and medical evaluation of Blackman, Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Thines asked for 14 days to allow the prosecutor’s office to determine its recommended course of action going forward. The state could ask the court to retain jurisdiction over the woman for the foreseeable future or may recommend a civil commitment which would remove the criminal charges.
In the meantime Blackman was committed to the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital in Toledo for treatment.
