Man Claims Insanity

Fri., Nov. 22, 1996

Compiled From Wire Services

A Soap Lake man charged with setting fire to two Grant County churches will spend up to 10 years at Eastern State Hospital, a judge ruled Thursday.

Anthony Notaras, 59, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three arson charges related to fires in the Soap Lake area last June.

Investigators said they saw Notaras flee from a late-night fire at Community Evangelical Church. He is implicated also in a fire the same night at a Soap Lake hardware store and at a Catholic church a week earlier.

The three fires caused about $100,000 in damage, investigators said.

On Thursday, Notaras changed his plea, telling Grant County Superior Court Judge Ken Jorgenson he was insane when he set the fires.

Jorgenson ordered Notaras to be held at Eastern State Hospital until it’s determined he no longer needs evaluation and treatment.

Grant County Prosecutor John Knodell supported the decision. “He’d be much worse off going to prison. Now that he’s taking his medication, it’s helping him,” Knodell said.

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