News
Court Determines Defendant in Aggravated Assault Case is Competent to Proceed
At a hearing on July 8 in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan, District Court Judge John Fenn ordered a mental competency evaluation for John Kirkpatrick and determined that the defendant needed to be evaluated by the Wyoming State Hospital for competency before proceeding with the case. Kirkpatrick was arrested and charged with the crimes of Aggravated Assault and Battery, Domestic Battery and Reckless Driving for an incident that occurred in Sheridan County on February 23.
Defense Attorney Anna Malmberg, on behalf of her client, filed a motion to rescind the order for the competency evaluation. That motion was addressed by the Court at a hearing Tuesday. After a lengthy question and answer period between Judge Fenn and Kirkpatrick, Judge Fenn determined that Kirkpatrick was competent to proceed and granted the motion to rescind the evaluation.
A plea agreement is expected to be reached between the prosecution and defendant and a change of plea and bond hearing will be held in the immediate future. Aggravated Assault and Battery is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Domestic Battery and Reckless Driving are misdemeanors that each carry a sentence of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $750.
