A jury trial has been set for a Stroud man facing six felony charges accusing him of setting wildfires in Lincoln County over a period of nearly a year.
He was bound over last month to stand trial.
Two counts of second degree arson and four counts of third degree arson were formally filed Dec. 28, 2022 in Lincoln County District Court against Chad Michael Hutson, 48.
Special Judge Emily Mueller set his preliminary hearing for 1:30 p.m. on June 29.
At the conclusion of that hearing, he was bound over to stand trial.
During his arraignment on July 18 before District Judge Traci Soderstrom, the court entered not guilty pleas for Hutson and set the cause for the felony disposition docket on Sep. 26. The judge set him for the jury trial call docket on Oct. 13 and a jury trial at 9 a.m. Oct. 16.
Associate District Judge Sheila Kirk set Hutson’s bond at $250,000. He made his initial appearance before her on Dec. 28.
In a probable cause affidavit, Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Tony Long states he arrested Hutson at his residence on Tuesday morning, Dec. 20, around 11 a.m. and took him to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for booking.
According to the affidavit, Long said after arriving at the Sheriff’s Office Hutson was placed in the interview room. When Special Agent Ryan Hensley of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Long began the interview, Hutson waived his right to an attorney and requested to speak about the fires.
In the affidavit, Hutson told investigators that he had uncontrollable urges to set fires but would immediately feel remorse shortly after igniting them. Hutson further informed them he thought these urges to set fire might be from a possible brain injury he thought he sustained as a child.
Hutson advised Long and Hensley he would take them to the scene of several fires and provide them an explanation of each fire’s origin.