Craft found incompetent to stand trial


 

POUGHKEEPSIE — Two court-appointed psychiatrists have found Christopher Craft, 42, of Stanfordville, mentally incompetent to stand trial. He was sent to Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center in Orange County following an arraignment at the Dutchess County Courthouse on Nov. 30.

Craft is accused of holding Stissing Mountain Middle School Principal Robert Hess hostage at gunpoint for more than two hours on Nov. 10 with a 12-gauge shotgun. He surrendered after speaking with hostage negotiators from state and county police departments. Students at Stissing Mountain Middle/High School were all evacuated safely.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Ed Whitesell confirmed that court documents state Craft wanted to attract media attention to what he claimed was unfair treatment of his son, Christopher Craft Jr., by the United States Army. He was reportedly looking to get social services for himself and his son, Whitesell said, and he was seeking Hess’ help in arranging a meeting with FBI and military personnel to discuss his son’s treatment.

Craft will be kept at Mid-Hudson Psychiatric until it is determined that he is competent to stand trial, explained Chief Assistant Public Defender Thomas Angell, who is Craft’s attorney.

"Normally people come back within a couple of months [to stand trial]," Angell said. "It’s rare, I’ve only had a few cases where someone stayed beyond the one year mark."

If that mark is met, Angell explained that another court order would be required to keep Craft at the psychiatric center.

Until Craft is able to stand trial, the criminal case cannot move forward. Craft entered not-guilty pleas to 11 felony charges and three misdemeanors during the arraignment before Dutchess County Court Judge Thomas Dolan.

Felony charges include one count of kidnapping in the second degree, two counts of criminal use of a firearm, one count of criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of burglary in the second degree, two counts of criminal trespass in the first degree and one count of unlawful imprisonment.
He also faces three misdemeanor counts of menacing. If convicted, Craft faces a sentence of up to 25 years in state prison.

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