JUDGE ORDERS COMPETENCY EXAM FOR MT. PLEASANT TOWNSHIP MAN

A judge has ordered a competency exam for a Mt. Pleasant Township man charged with sexually assaulting a child.  The Trib reports that 37-year-old Brandon Hoffer was arrested in 2022 on charges of rape of a child for incidents in 2020 and 2021.  Over the ensuing four years, Hoffer has undergone competency evaluations several times and a defense expert found he was incompetent to stand trial, while a psychiatrist hired by prosecutors determined the opposite.  Judge Christopher Feliciani ordered the exam from the defense and if needed from the prosecutors.  Depending on the results, a competency hearing could be scheduled where testimony would be taken from the experts.