The case of Lenard L. Hale, the man accused of hitting a coworker with his vehicle in Mukwonago, will not proceed further until he is found competent.
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge K. Scott Wagner signed a commitment order in April following the results of a competency examination ordered on Feb. 20 – nine days after Hale, 38, of North Prairie was charged with first-degree attempted homicide and hit-and-run causing great bodily harm.
While details of the examination are sealed by the court, its contents were the basis for Wagner’s order, which suspended proceedings. Wagner committed Hale for treatment by officials at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which will provide periodic reports on his mental state. A review hearing is set for July 13.
Hale can remain in treatment for up to a year, under the order, according to court documents. He was deemed likely to be declared competent with treatment, which would allow the court to proceed with the criminal case.
According to a criminal complaint, on Feb. 9 Hale stalked the male victim, who was not publicly identified, by driving slowly behind him as he walked toward Aptar, 711 Fox St., a plastic fabrication company where both men worked.
Hale had been fired from his job shortly before 4 p.m. that day, but remained in his car near the business while the coworker went to and from a neighboring Dollar General store in Greenridge Center, the complaint said. Video surveillance footage captured the moment Hale suddenly accelerated toward the man, who tried to jump out of the way but was struck and thrown over the car’s hood and roof.
The man sustained a brain injury requiring emergency surgery.
A search warrant, initially sealed by the court in February but unsealed on April 13, indicated that the injured worker was not a supervisor nor was in any way tied to Hale’s dismissal from his job. The reason he may have targeted the man isn’t clear, based on court documents.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man charged in Mukwonago hit-and-run incident ruled as incompetent
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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