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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- July 30, 2020
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On July 30, a DC Superior Court judge ordered a mental competency examination for a defendant.
Paul Pearson, 22, is charged with destruction of property less than $1,000, assault with a dangerous weapon, leaving after colliding with property damage and fleeing a law enforcement officer.
Pearson was supposed to undergo a mental competency examination on July 22. Defense attorney Stephen Brennwald said it “simply never happened.”
Judge Michael Ryan said the earliest date a doctor from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) will be available to conduct the test is Aug. 6.
He set a mental observation hearing for Aug. 7, saying he will accept an oral report because he did not want to wait an additional few days for a physical report.
“He’s been locked up for a month,” said Judge Ryan. “He’s supposed to have the exam last week but that didn’t happen.”
Pearson allegedly smashed a window pane at a bakery on the 500 block of 29th Street, NW on June 6. He was arrested and held at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) headquarters on the 300 block of Indiana Avenue, NW, where he allegedly tried to strangle a man a day later. Pearson was released on June 8. On June 26, he allegedly fled in his vehicle after it collided with an MPD cruiser on the 5900 Georgia Avenue, NW, according to court documents.