MARION COUNTY, IL — A 54-year-old rural Odin man has been charged in Marion County Court in connection with the July 2018 fire that caused heavy damage to the Bethel Baptist Church next to his home. Joseph Busscher was charged in court Friday with Class 1 felony arson to a place of worship.

Busscher was already in custody on a July 2020 charge in Marion County Court for allegedly firing shots at the church. He was found mentally unfit to stand trial in September 2020 and was remanded into the custody of the Department of Human Services for treatment. In March of this year he was found fit to stand trial and was returned in April to the custody of the Marion County Jail to await trial. Currently a June 21 jury trial is scheduled on the 2020 firearm and criminal damage charges.

A preliminary hearing in the arson case is scheduled for June 1 along with a first appearance with Busscher’s court appointed attorney.