Court sends accused monument destroyer to mental hospital

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The man accused of destroying a Ten Commandments monument outside the Arkansas state Capitol has been acquitted of a felony charge by a judge who cited evidence of a mental disease or defect.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza said Thursday that Michael Tate Reed must report to the state hospital in Little Rock for additional evaluations that could lead to his release.

A state hospital evaluation presented in court Thursday says Reed lacked the capacity to follow the law when he knocked over the 6,000-pound monument in June 2017. A replacement monument now stands in its place, protected by four concrete posts.

Reed was also accused of destroying a similar monument in Oklahoma City, but Oklahoma prosecutors didn’t charge him after concerns were raised about his mental health.