Dingus not competent to stand trial for alleged assault that hospitalized victim
A court-ordered evaluation by the Forensic Diagnostic Center of District Nine has determined a Cambridge man accused of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will at a city residence last September is not competent to stand trial.
Kevin D. Dingus, 34, will be transported to Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare in Athens once bed space becomes available for treatment to restore his competency to stand trial for the alleged crime.
According to online court records, Dr. Howard A. Beazel of Forensic Diagnostic Center wrote in his opinion that, with a reasonable psychological certainty, Dingus is currently "not capable of understanding the nature and objectives of the proceedings he faces."
The doctor went on to say Dingus "is currently not capable of assisting his attorney in his defense due to a severe mental illness."
Dingus was indicted by a Guernsey County grand jury on Oct. 1, 2021, on one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, for the alleged attack less than a month earlier.
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Dingus previously plead not guilty to the charge and bond was set at $25,000, cash or surety, with no 10% allowed and a personal recognizance bond with special conditions.
Dingus is subject to electronically-monitored house arrest if release from incarceration.
Attorney Matthew Mollica filed a motion with the common pleas court on Nov. 1, 2021, seeking competency and not guilty by reason of insanity evaluations, which were granted by Judge Daniel G. Padden three days later.
More: Competency hearing ordered for felonious assault suspect
The opinion of Beazel was received by the court on Jan. 5 and a competency hearing took place on Friday.
The alleged victim was hospitalized at Southeastern Med in Cambridge after he reportedly suffered fractured ribs and other injuries.
A misdemeanor assault charge for the alleged attack on Sept. 12 was initially filed against Dingus on Sept. 17 in the Cambridge Municipal Court. A warrant for his arrest was issued at that time.
Following his arrest on Sept. 20, Dingus plead not guilty to the charge and bond was set at $10,000 with no 10% allowed. A motion for a mental health evaluation for Dingus was granted by the court and he was placed under pretrial supervision.
The misdemeanor charge was later dismissed on Sept. 28 when a felonious assault charge was filed in the municipal court.
The felonious assault charge was later dismissed by the Guernsey County Prosecuting Attorney's Office the same day the case was presented to the grand jury.
A warrant on indictment was issued for Dingus and he was served in the county jail.
Dingus remains incarcerated in the county jail Thursday awaiting an arraignment hearing for the felony indictment.
Dingus has prior felony convictions in Guernsey County including a felonious assault case in 2011.
Earlier this year, Dingus was found incompetent to stand trial in connection with an unrelated case charging him with grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and vandalism, a fifth-degree felony.
He was accused of stealing a truck from a Cambridge school and vandalizing a dentist office on Wheeling Avenue.
Dr. Jaime Adkins with Forensic Diagnostic Center determined Dingus could not be restored to competency within the time prescribed by Ohio law. He was ordered to be confined at Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare.
Jurisdiction of Dingus was later transferred to the probate division of the common pleas court and the criminal case was dismissed on July 9, 2021.
No other information was available.
Dingus remained incarcerated in the Guernsey County Jail.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Dingus not competent to stand trial for felonious assault charge
