Mental exam ordered for man wanted since 1985 on OWI warrant
A man wanted in Madison for failing to appear in court on a drunk driving ticket issued in 1985 was arrested in his hometown of Muscoda Monday and was ordered sent to Mendota Mental Health Facility Thursday for a mental competency hearing.
Dane County Court Commissioner Scott McAndrew ordered the competency hearing for Patrick J. Miller, 47, who along with being wanted in Madison on the drunk driving warrant, is also wanted in Florida on the far more serious charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Miller appeared in court for a brief bail hearing Thursday in a wheelchair, sitting with his head slumped on his bare chest, wearing no shirt and jail house blues pants. He said nothing as Assistant District Attorney Michael Verveer and a member of the Mental Health Center of Dane County jail staff said they had questions about Miller's mental health.
With no objection from Assistant State Public Defender John Tradewell, Miller was ordered to undergo a mental examination at Mendota. When that is completed, another hearing will be held on how to proceed with the case against him.
Tradewell did object to setting new bail in the case, saying "if competency is raised it puts the whole thing on hold."
Cash bail of $500 had been set in 1986, when Miller failed to appear for a court session on the drunk driving ticket, and the late Dane County Circuit Court Judge William Byrne ordered the bench warrant issued for Miller's arrest.
The cash bail was raised to $1,500, but that is largely irrelevant because Miller, if found competent, would continue to be held on the warrants from Florida.
Verveer said the state thought Miller was in Florida for much of the time between his failure to appear on the old drunk driving ticket and his recent arrest on the Dane County drunk driving warrant by Muscoda Police Officer William Schram on Aug. 4.
There was no immediate information available on the Florida charges, except that they were for kidnapping and false imprisonment.
The charge here came from a routine traffic stop on Sept. 1, 1985, when Madison Police Officer Sue Armogost was looking for a car that had reportedly been racing on East Washington Avenue. Instead she spotted another car which swerved in the left lane, up onto the median and back onto the street.
She pulled the car over and issued a ticket to Miller, who had a blood alcohol level of 0.16.
