Man ruled competent in fatal crash

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COLUMBUS — A man accused of causing a crash that killed two pedestrians — including a former Delaware resident — in downtown Columbus has been found competent to stand trial.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that a Franklin County judge, David Young, on Tuesday ruled 62-year-old Terrance Trent competent and set a trial date for Oct. 26.

The crash claimed the life of former Delaware resident Stephanie Fibelkorn, 21.

Trent is accused of recklessly driving his truck into a school bus that then hit Fibelkorn and another pedestrians on Dec. 12. He’s pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide charges.

Two psychological evaluations said Trent was competent for trial. A third psychologist concluded he is incompetent to stand trial and suffers from “disorganized and delusional thinking” and possibly dementia.

Questions about competency deal with a defendant’s mental state at the time of trial, not his mental state at the time the alleged crime was committed.

A recent evaluation appeared to break the tie between two previous reports in which psychologists disagreed about the competency of Trent.

The midmorning crash involving a bus carrying three Groveport Madison schoolchildren happened near the Ohio Statehouse, in view of several bystanders. Witnesses said Trent’s speeding truck ran a red light.

Fibelkorn died at the scene. City engineer William Lewis, 58, died on Dec. 29. Lewis had been walking to a meeting with Fibelkorn, who was interning with the city. The bus driver and a passenger in Trent’s truck were injured.

Lewis was transported to Grant Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries on Dec. 30.

Fibelkorn, an Olentangy Local Schools graduate, had just finished an internship at Lewis’ office when the crash occurred.

Questions about competency deal with a defendant’s mental state at the time of trial, not his mental state at the time the alleged crime was committed.

Trent
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/web1_Trent.jpgTrent
Local woman killed when truck hit bus

The Associated Press

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