North Haverhill
Anthony Boisvert stands charged with two counts of felony arson in connection with the fire, which gutted the Gothic Revival building built in 1870.
Boisvert told police he broke into the church, watched child pornography and masturbated into a dirty diaper before lighting an American flag on fire, according to a police affidavit in the case. He then exited the building.
Boisvert has pleaded not guilty. He is being held at the Grafton County jail on high cash bail.
According to the case summary, Judge Lawrence MacLeod issued an “order for (a) competency evaluation” in late August, and a competency evaluation was filed in mid-October.
The results of evaluation are unknown, as the majority of the documents in the case are sealed.
In addition, a competency hearing that was slated for December was canceled.
A hearing scheduled for Tuesday was conducted in Grafton Superior Court but was closed to the public, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Public defender Constantine Hutchins said on Friday he couldn’t comment on the case.
Boisvert also has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of first-degree assault and two felony counts of witness tampering stemming from alleged incidents that took place around the time of the fire.
They allege he attacked Wade Bennett and Dianne Faughnan with a knife at the Boulders Condominiums in Lebanon, and did so in retaliation for Bennett and Faughnan giving information to the police about Boisvert’s alleged involvement in the blaze.
Boisvert also has denied setting a fire at an apartment building on the night of the church fire.
Boisvert’s next court hearing hasn’t yet been scheduled.
A message left for Assistant Grafton County Attorney Jack Bell wasn’t immediately returned on Friday.