SC man cleared of burning home he said had witches

SUMTER, S.C. (AP) — A Sumter man has been ordered to a state mental facility after saying he burned his house down because it was full of witches.

The Item of Sumter reports (http://bit.ly/15xELqI) that a judge last week made that determination for 45-year-old Richard Clark.

Clark was charged in January 2012 with third-degree arson after he burned down his own home. State mental health officials had recommended that Clark be found not guilty by reason of insanity after he had a competency evaluation and said he thought witches were in his house.

Prosecutors did not challenge that assertion. Circuit Judge R. Ferrell Cothran ordered Clark to a state mental health facility for up to four months after determining that he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

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Information from: The Item, http://www.theitem.com