Libertyville man found not guilty of arson, insurance fraud

FAIRFIELD — A Libertyville man was found not guilty of committing arson and insurance fraud by a Jefferson County jury this week.

Lucas McCoy, 40, had been charged with second degree arson, a Class C felony, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, a Class D felony, in relation to a fire that engulfed his home in Libertyville in October 2020. On Tuesday, closing arguments were heard in the case, and after a few hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on both counts.

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding prosecuted the case. McCoy was represented by a court-appointed attorney, Robert Breckenridge II of Ottumwa. Lucy Gamon was the presiding judge.

Though the fire occurred in October of 2022, McCoy was not charged until April of 2021. The charges stemmed from an investigation by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Miller, who indicated in his report a list of people who claimed that McCoy told them he was going to burn the house down.

However, two of those witnesses named in the initial police report did not testify at the trial, McCoy’s daughter Paige McCoy and her then boyfriend Hunter Bennett. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office served subpoenas on the two on Oct. 10 of this year at their last known addresses. Deputy Mark Miller stated in a report that he was able to contact Paige via telephone, and learned that she had just moved to Illinois, but didn’t know her address or what part of Illinois she was in. Miller also obtained a phone number for Hunter Bennett, but learned from his father that he wasn’t sure where he was, and that he might have moved to Pennsylvania.

Since those two witnesses were unavailable to testify, the court had to rely on the depositions each of them gave in May of 2021, when Breckenridge and Moulding had an opportunity to ask them questions. Their responses to these questions were read aloud by actors during the trial so the jury could hear them.

During Bennett’s deposition, Breckenridge asked him about an interview he gave to Jefferson County Lieutenant Jerry Marcellus in December of 2020, in which he claimed that he observed Lucas McCoy get things ready to burn down the house. Bennett told Breckenridge he didn’t remember that at all. Breckenridge asked him if he helped Lucas gather blankets to place around the space heater as alleged in the criminal complaint, and Bennett said he didn’t remember saying that.

Moulding said he respects the outcome reached by the jury “as it is the nature of our system to have the right to trial by jury of our peers.”

Breckenridge did not respond for a request for comment by press time.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com