ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) - A man accused of holding bank employees hostage in Orangeburg in 2012 has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reported (https://bit.ly/1k6Yrvg ) that Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein has ordered 27-year-old Elvis Prince to be admitted to the state Department of Mental Health until he is competent to face trial.
Prince was charged with 20 count of kidnapping in the standoff with police.
Prosecutor Don Sorenson said Prince’s charges will be dismissed but can be restored if he is ever be found competent.
According to the evaluation report, Prince answered many questions logically and rationally, saying at one point he would refuse to answer questions without an attorney present.
The report said Prince went on to tell psychiatrists that regardless of the outcome of his case, he “would want to tell the court about the angels and his beliefs about his role in eradicating the beast from the seas.”
“People need to know that the devil is coming,” he is quoted as saying.
Orangeburg police officers were called about a hostage situation at the bank Jan. 17, 2012. For nearly an hour, police tried to negotiate with the man holding a woman at knifepoint and other bank employees at bay.
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Information from: The Times & Democrat, https://www.timesanddemocrat.com
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