An Encanto man accused of stabbing his sister and father during a Father’s Day argument last year at their home is not mentally competent to stand trial and will be sent to a state mental hospital for treatment, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Arthur James Freeman, 39, is charged with elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon and faces nearly 19 years in prison if convicted.
After reviewing a doctor’s report, Judge Steven Stone ruled that Freeman was mentally incompetent to stand trial and will be sent to the hospital for up to three years or until his competency is restored. The judge ordered that Freeman take his medications, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
The attack was reported in the 6500 block of Elder Street at 9:57 a.m. last June 14. Freeman allegedly stabbed both his sister and 71-year-old father in the abdomen during an argument.
Both victims were treated at a hospital for non-life threatening wounds, and the defendant was arrested at the residence.
—City News Service