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Thursday, 17 September 2009 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
WAPAKONETA — A St. Marys man accused of causing a bomb scare last year was deemed competent to stand trial.
Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick Pepple ruled Jesse B. McDermitt, 18, competent to stand trial during a hearing Wednesday. McDermitt is charged with two counts each of carrying a concealed weapon, fourth-degree felonies, unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance, fifth-degree felonies, and inducing panic, fourth-degree and fifth-degree felonies respectively, in connection with the December incident at the St. Marys Marathon.
Pepple said the psychological evaluation McDermitt underwent declared him competent to stand trial. Based upon the report, Pepple issued his ruling.
Public Defender Mark Weller requested a second evaluation to determine McDermitt’s state of mind during the alleged offenses. Weller said McDermitt admitted to him that he did not understand some of the questions the evaluator asked him during the evaluation.
“I believe we just need another evaluation on his mental status at the commission of the alleged offenses,” Weller said. “He indicated he didn’t understand the questions and in others, he was deliberately misleading, which could attribute to the mental illness he suffers.”
Pepple questioned if the second evaluation would be beneficial since McDermitt admitted to lying to the evaluators. Pepple also revealed McDermitt got into an argument during the evaluation.
“It’s not going to do any good if this continues,” Pepple said, noting he would take the request under advisement. “I’m not going to promise anything.”
McDermitt also requested a speedy trial waiver, which Pepple approved. The judge ordered the case set for a pretrial.
The charges against McDermitt stem from a Dec. 2 incident where he allegedly placed incendiary devices near fuel pumps at the St. Marys Marathon Station. Employees at the gas station contacted police after discovering a black bag at one of the fuel pumps.
Members of the St. Marys Police and Fire departments, as well as the Allen County Bomb Squad, FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), responded to the scene to assist in the investigation. The Allen County Bomb Squad detonated the device at the Marathon Station.
Investigators located McDermitt — who quickly became the focus of the investigation — at the Townview Terrace Apartments, where he had a similar device strapped to his body. Officers removed the device, placed it in a dumpster and detonated it.
McDermitt was involved in a similar incident in 2006 at Wapakoneta High School.
If convicted, McDermitt faces a maximum of 7 1/2 years in prison and an $18,000 fine. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 October 2009 )
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