Austin Parker, 25, has been found competent to stand trial on two counts of felonious assault. A plea offer has been extended to Parker in an attempt to resolve the case.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man has been ruled competent to stand trial on two counts of felonious assault, second-degree felonies.
A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity had previously been entered by attorneys from the Allen County Public Defenders Office on behalf of Austin Parker, 25. Police allege that on or about Feb. 7 of this year Parker did attempt to cause physical harm to another by means of a deadly weapon.
According to court documents, deputies from the Allen County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched on the evening of Feb. 7 to a residence in the 100 block of Valley Way in Lima in reference to a domestic violence incident in which one party was wielding a knife and the other had a gun.
Deputies found Parker, Melissa Rambin and Brian Rambin arguing on the front porch of the residence. It was learned that Melissa Rambin is Parker’s mother.
It was alleged that Parker had music blaring through open windows and was screaming obscenities out the windows prior to the arrival of law enforcement. When the Rambin couple arrived Parker yelled at them before stating “I will get a knife and kill you,” court records show.
After Parker produced a knife and spit in his mother’s face, Brian Rambin went to his vehicle to retrieve a handgun before returning to the porch. Parker was ordered to drop the knife and he complied. When police arrived Parker stated he was on several medications for mental issues. Police later confirmed he has been diagnosed a bipolar and as having a schizoaffective disorder, according to court documents.
A competency evaluation was requested by defense attorneys but the psychologist who performed the exam found that Parker did not qualify to enter the not guilty by reason of insanity plea and was competent to stand trial.
During a hearing Thursday in Allen County Common Pleas Court an offer made by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Thines called for Parker to plead guilty to an amended charge of attempted felonious assault, a felony of the third degree, with the remaining count to be dismissed. Thines said that the offer will expire on July 6.
