Mental exam ordered for man accused of demolishing Ten Commandments monument at state Capitol

[TexasTowelie]

The lawyer for the 32-year-old Van Buren man accused of demolishing the state's brand-new Ten Commandments monument took steps Tuesday to explore a possible insanity defense for his client.

At the request of Public Defender Kent Krause, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza ordered the Arkansas State Hospital to perform a mental evaluation to determine whether Michael Tate Reed II is fit to stand trial.

Reed made his first circuit court appearance Tuesday to answer a felony criminal mischief charge that could net him up to 10 years in the penitentiary.

Relatives say he's been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which is a condition that combines the hallucinations of schizophrenia with a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder.

Read more: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/aug/30/exam-ordered-in-monument-vandalism-case/

Did Moses claim an insanity defense when he demolished the Ten Commandments after descending from Mt. Sinai?

Will the lawyer for Van Buren claim that the devil made him do it?

[Phoenix61]

1. Schizoaffective disorder doesn't get a lot of press

but it is a very serious mental health disorder. It's hard to function when your hallucinating.

[TlalocW]

2. Seems to be a very specific form of the disorder

Triggered only around Ten Commandments monuments - one in Oklahoma and the one in Arkansas.

Either way - sane or not, he's a constitutional hero.

TlalocW