Status hearing set for Quincy man charged with December 2023 arson; pro se motion for change of venue denied

QUINCY — A status hearing for a Quincy man, believed to have set fire to the apartment complex in which he was living in December 2023, has been set for Jan. 22, and a motion for a change of venue has been denied.

Joseph Lindsay, 26, appeared briefly with Public Defender John Citro on Wednesday afternoon before Circuit Judge Holly Henze in Adams County Circuit Court.

Lindsay has been charged with aggravated arson while knowing people were present, a Class X felony. If he is found guilty by a jury, he could serve between six and 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Citro filed a motion for an affirmative defense in April. In an affirmative defense, the defendant introduces evidence which, if found to be credible, will negate criminal liability, even if it is proven that the defendant committed the alleged acts. The party raising the affirmative defense has the burden of proof to establish that it applies.

Citro’s one-sentence motion said, “The defendant, Joseph Lindsay, may utilize the affirmative defense of insanity in (his) case.”

Citro obtained state funds earlier this year to have a psychiatric evaluation done to assist in the presentation of a defense. During Wednesday’s hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Keck said she expects to receive a similar psychiatric evaluation by mid-February.

Lindsay also filed a pro se motion on Monday with the Adams County Circuit Clerk for a change of venue. 

“Because the media is trying to cover my case, I feel like that is going to be an unfair chance to fight my case,” he wrote. “I have been waiting in the Adams County Jail for a year and haven’t went to trial. That is why I’m putting in for a change of venue, to go to someplace where I can get a fair trial.

“I feel like my lawyer is not on my side because he is not putting up no kind of fight in my defense. I feel like my lawyer is trying to get my evaluation drug out until the media goes away.”

Henze denied Lindsay’s motion, saying it was not supported by appropriate and required affidavits.

Just after 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2023, officers with the Quincy Police Department, along with the Quincy Fire Department and Adams County Ambulance Service, responded to the report of a structure fire at 718 Kentucky. When officers arrived, they discovered a five-apartment dwelling was on fire. Officers evacuated the residents from the building, and the fire was extinguished. No immediate injuries from the fire were reported.

Lindsay, one of the residents of the dwelling, was not at the scene at the time of the fire. He was arrested Dec. 12, 2023. He remains lodged in the Adams County Jail.