MARSHALL — A Marshall man charged with arson in a fire that destroyed a rural Lyon County home this summer has pleaded not guilty.

A Lyon County District Court judge set a trial date for Tyson Hinckley in late May.

Hinckley, 34, was allegedly found by law enforcement at the scene of a July fire at a house in rural Stanley Township. A criminal complaint alleges Hinckley broke into the house and started a fire in an attached garage.

The fire destroyed the garage and gutted the house. The complaint also alleges Hinckley stole a van from the residential property and drove it into a nearby cornfield.

Emergency responders had been searching for Hinckley earlier on the day of the fire, after his vehicle was found abandoned in Stanley Township.

The owners of the burned home, Tom and Julie Sando, told the Independent they didn’t know Hinckley before the fire. However, the Sandos did attend a Friday morning plea hearing, where Hinckley appeared in court.

Hinckley pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree arson, second degree burglary and motor vehicle theft. A trial date was set for May 27, with a pre-trial hearing on May 5.