MINNESOTA
Mesabi Daily News
Lisa Rosemore Herald-Review
A Grand Rapids man convicted of setting a fire in the Grand Rapids United Methodist Church in 2011 has been found competent to proceed in a criminal case alleging he molested two children.
Robert Evans Shepard, 71, has been charged with two counts of felony second degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the suspected abuse. At Shepard’s first court appearance on the charges in October, Itasca County District Court Judge Jon Maturi ordered an evaluation to determine if Shepard was competent to proceed in the case against him.
In a brief hearing Tuesday afternoon, Maturi said after reviewing the report from the evaluator it appeared Shepard was competent to proceed.
Maturi set Shepard’s next court hearing for 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 12 before Itasca County District Court Judge Lois Lang.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.