BEDFORD, Va. – The man accused of setting the old Bedford Middle School on fire was back in court Tuesday afternoon.
Daniel Flint is facing two felony charges of arson and burglary in connection to the Jan. 23, 2020 fire.
The above video shows what the building looked like the day of the fire.
Flint’s appearance at the Bedford County Courthouse Tuesday was brief.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Wes Nance said while he was originally set to enter a guilty plea, instead, the defense requested another mental health evaluation after a judge previously declared Flint competent to stand trial.
This is to determine the best course of action going forward in reference to Flint’s pre-existing conditions, specifically autism.
Nance said a law was recently passed to allow additional mental health evidence to come in.
“Any individual has the right to ask for additional competency evaluations because very often your competency fluctuates when you’re dealing with mental health,” Nance says.
The re-evaluation is slated for September; however, Nance said they’re hoping for a quicker return of these evaluations since there are no longer COVID-19 restrictions.
Once the evaluation is complete, a review hearing will take place.
10 News has covered this case extensively since the first happened. Below are our previous stories, from newest to oldest:
- Man facing felony charges for Bedford Middle School fire to enter plea agreement (Published April 2, 2021)
- Man accused of setting Bedford Middle School fire waives right to preliminary hearing (Published March 8, 2021)
- Man accused of Bedford Middle School fire competent to stand trial (Published Dec. 2, 2020)
- Old Bedford Middle School developer looking to rezone property after auditorium cannot be saved (Published May 18, 2020)
- Former student charged in connection with fire at old Bedford Middle School (Published Feb. 19, 2020)
- Authorities continue to get tips on old Bedford Middle School fire (Published Feb. 13, 2020)
- Police release pictures of suspect in Old Bedford Middle School fire investigation (Published Jan. 23, 2020)