Man enters insanity plea after being charged in connection to deadly Preble Co. fire

PREBLE COUNTY — A man formally charged in connection to a deadly Preble County fire in September has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man formally charged in connection to deadly Preble Co. fire

The defense team for Anthony Luker Jr., 24, entered the insanity plea last week in Preble County Common Pleas Court, according to online court records.

News Center 7 previously reported that he is facing several charges including reckless homicide, having weapons under disability, receiving stolen property, and grand theft when the property is a firearm or dangerous ordinance.

Judge Stephen Bruns ordered a forensic evaluation to determine whether Luke is competent to stand trial, the court records said.

The forensic report is due within 30 days.

As a result, Judge Bruns vacated Luker’s trial previously scheduled for Dec. 18.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man who allegedly left scene of deadly fire in Preble Co. taken into custody

Preble County firefighters were initially dispatched on Sept. 7 around 10:46 p.m. to the 6500 block of State Route 121 near New Paris on initial reports of a mobile home fire and someone trapped inside.

In a 911 call obtained by News Center 7, a caller tells dispatchers the fire was started by fireworks and that there was a man still trapped inside the home.

“The person who did this, he lit firecrackers over the porch, and he caught the house on fire,” the caller frantically told dispatchers.

Kenneth Doolin, 57, of New Paris, was identified by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office as the person killed in the fire.

>>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Male dead following mobile home fire in Preble County

A man, later identified as Luker, was allegedly seen leaving the scene in a Buick Century that belonged to Doolin.

He was later taken into custody in Richmond, Indiana and extradited back to Preble County.

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