Wednesday's Internet Edition, March 10, 2010.
|
| The Kentucky State Police Honor Guard march toward the Blue Light Memorial Saturday during Trooper Island's Appreciation Day celebration |
37-year-old Mickey Grubb, formerly of Knox County, has been found competent to stand trial for the crimes, which occured at a location near the Knox-Laurel line in late 2002.
According to Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Franklin Stivers, Circuit Judge Roderick Messer issued a ruling based on an assessment by Dr. Candace Walker, a state psychiatrist, finding that Grubb was mentally competent to be tried.
"He (Messer) had already entered a written order finding Grubb competent after Dr. Walker testified," Stivers said. "It is about a three or four page order."
The ruling was announced on Friday during a hearing held in Laurel Circuit Court.
Grubb was indicted in January 2003 by a Laurel County Grand Jury on three counts of assault, four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, three counts of first-degree rape, two counts of kidnapping, and once count each of unlawful imprisonment, and sodomy.
The incidents allegedly occured in November and December 2002 at a location near the Knox-Laurel line in Laurel County.
The victim, Grubb's wife, was hospitalized in intensive care following the assault.
The indictments allege that Grubb kidnapped, assaulted, and sexually abused his former wife, including forcibly engaging in sexual intercourse with her using foreign objects.
After a short time on the lam, Grubb was arrested on Jan. 29, 2003 at the home of Sidney Wilburn by KSP Troopers John Reynolds, Mike Taylor, and Jason York.
When police arrived at the residence, Wilburn allegedly denied that Grubb was in the residence. Upon investigation, police found Grubb cowering behind a shower curtain with a devil Halloween mask beside him.
Police say Grubb was reportedly seen on several occasions wearing various Halloween masks.
Stivers noted that shortly after his arrest and incarceration, Grubb was sent for psychiatric evaluation by Walker, who initially ruled him incompetent.
However, based on letters allegedly written by Grubb to his children, Stivers said they found evidence that indicated that Grubb was more competent than originally thought.
Officials from the Victims' Advocacy office and the Commonwealth Attorney's Office then filed papers to have Grubb re-evaluated, again by Dr. Walker.
"They did an in-depth evaluation," Stivers said, noting that, during a hearing held Dec. 15, 2004, Walker ruled that Grubb was competent to stand trial.
However, because Grubb's defense attorney David Hoskins had not been supplied with several of the documents supplied by the Victim's Advocate and Commonwealth Attorney's office, Hoskins was given until Jan. 24 to submit supplemental evidence or file additional motions in the case.
No such documents were filed and, according to Stivers, the record was complete.
Stivers said, "It really is not subject to appeal at this time. But understand that Mr. Hoskins has the right to raise Mickey Grubb's sanity. He is free to raise that issue to the jury...he may bring somebody down to testify that, at the time, he was not criminally responsible."
Stivers said he is anxious that a tentative trial date has been set, and is looking forward to finally resolving the case.
"All we want to do is get the thing tried and let a jury decide whether Mickey Grubb is guilty or not guilty, or not criminally libel...we want to get it to where it is over," he added. "Everybody does, I'm sure...Mr. Grubb included."