DETROIT, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A member of a Michigan-based Christian militia group called Hutaree might not be competent to stand trial on federal charges of conspiracy, prosecutors say.
Federal prosecutors want Jacob Ward to undergo a psychiatric examination, the Detroit Free Press said Thursday.
In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, prosecutors said there is doubt as to whether Ward is competent to stand trial on charges that members of the Lenawee County-based group conspired to overthrow the U.S. government and attack local and federal law enforcement officers.
"This belief is based upon statements made by the defendant regarding perceived problems with the Huron, Ohio, Police Department, and his claimed relationship with a foreign national allegedly in the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency," prosecutors said in court documents.
Ward, 33, of Huron, Ohio, and several others were arrested in March and charged with plotting to overthrow the U.S. government and attempting to use weapons of mass destruction.
Ward has been free on bond and his attorney agreed to the evaluation, the newspaper said.
