FOND DU LAC COUNTY (NBC 26) — A young Menasha man who allegedly set a local congressman's office on fire after learning of a possible TikTok ban has plead not guilty to all counts by reason of mental defect.
Caiden Stachowicz, 19, is charged with arson, attempted burglary, and criminal damage to property.
Stachowicz appeared at the Fond du Lac County Courthouse on Monday for an arraignment hearing. The defendant pleaded not guilty on all counts by reason of mental disease or defect.
The court ordered a doctor to perform an evaluation on the defendant, and a status hearing is scheduled for May 12.
In January, Stachowicz allegedly set fire to Congressman Glenn Grothman's office in Fond du Lac because the Republican wanted TikTok to be sold from its Chinese owner, ByteDance.
Stachowicz told police that he wasn't hoping anyone was inside the building, and that he didn't want to harm Congressman Grothman or anyone else, according to a criminal complaint.
