Following a review of a psychological evaluation, Circuit Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. Friday found an Ottawa woman charged with arson and theft fit to stand trial next month.
Terri L. James, who remains in La Salle County Jail under $200,000 bond, is now scheduled to face a jury Monday, July 12. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to authorities, the alleged arson fires were connected to the 42-year-old woman's unauthorized use of a credit card from First Congregational United Church of Christ in Ottawa to charge "in excess of $100,000." County prosecutors have reported James paid "said credit card statements with funds" from the church.
The complaint also accuses James of altering church records to conceal the alleged embezzlement. She has been church administrative assistant for several years handling the church's financial affairs.
James is suspected of starting a fire that nearly destroyed an Ottawa South Side home and attempting to set fire to another structure as a diversion on the city's West Side on the morning of March 17. She was arrested and charged with arson and attempted arson after alert neighbors told police details about a similar-looking van seen at both locations before the fires were discovered.
The wife of former State's Attorney Michael James and mother of three is facing an aggregated prison term of up to 45 years.
Represented by Public Defender Tim Cappellini, James was examined by Dr. Robert Chapman, a forensic psychiatrist from Bloomington, to evaluate her mental status.
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