Psychologist calls suspect in shooting of Arkansas sheriff's deputy unfit for trial

Man claims relation to president, royalty

A psychologist's mental evaluation of a Scott County man charged with shooting and wounding a sheriff's deputy last year says he suffers from a mental disease and is unfit to stand trial.

Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II said Friday that he expects a court order to be issued in the next few days committing David Bentley, 48, to the State Hospital to be treated and restored to competency so he can stand trial on charges of first-degree battery and aggravated assault.

Court records show Bentley was scheduled to go on trial on those charges in Scott County Circuit Court on July 17. Tatum said the trial will be delayed.

Tatum said the only evidence he had of Bentley's competence was the psychological report that was filed in circuit court in Waldron last week.

"If in six months he's fit to proceed, we'll set a new trial date," Tatum said.

In the report, psychologist Paul Deyoub, for the State Hospital, diagnosed Bentley as a delusional, paranoid, "persecutory type." In his opinion, Bentley did not have a rational understanding of the proceedings against him or the capacity to effectively assist in his own defense.

In a June 25 letter to Circuit Judge Jerry Don Ramey, Deyoub said if Ramey finds him unfit to proceed, Bentley will require inpatient treatment at the State Hospital for his delusional disorder.

Deyoub wrote in his report about his encounter with Bentley on June 11. After providing information about his past, such as places he'd been, jobs he'd held, personal history, that he earned a college degree and served three years in the Army, Bentley began telling Deyoub strange things when the discussion turned to the charges against him.

The report said Bentley claimed to be related by blood to President Donald Trump, to the royal family in England and was the last of the Romanovs, the Russian family of Czar Nicholas II.

Bentley claimed that the FBI was involved in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, that the agency investigated him and his family because of his royal bloodline, and that the whole story about the World Trade Center attacks involved him, Deyoub's report said.

"All of his delusional material was related as part of the charges against him," Deyoub wrote.

Deyoub said in the report he reviewed the transcript of Bentley's first appearance in court after his arrest over the deputy's shooting. The judge and bailiff could not stop him from talking. Among other things, Bentley said he had to call and talk to President Trump, claimed to be the king of England and was "commander" of the court.

When Deyoub said he read Bentley portions of the transcript from his court appearance, Bentley agreed with the beliefs he had expressed in the hearing. His mental state had not changed, according to Deyoub.

"In fact, he amplified every statement and added more material," Deyoub wrote. "The court found it difficult to communicate with him, just as I did, once he began discussing this material."

Bentley was arrested early on Dec. 6 after shooting a deputy in the arm outside his home in rural Scott County.

A Special Weapons and Tactics team gained entry to the camper trailer, where he had barricaded himself and his girlfriend for hours, by ramming it with an armored vehicle and tossing tear gas inside.

Deputies were called to Imogene Road in southern Scott County on the afternoon of Dec. 5 on a report someone was driving in circles at an intersection in the Nella community. First on the scene was Deputy Stacy Wieburg. When the two met up, Bentley produced a gun and began shooting at Wieburg, one shot hitting him in the right forearm.

A second deputy arrived, pulled Wieburg to safety and administered first aid. Soon, officers from several agencies in and around Scott County converged at the location. Bentley refused to communicate with officers and surrendered when the tear gas drove him from the trailer.

Metro on 07/07/2018

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