Judge rules Ozark County man incompetent to stand trial

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An Ozark County man, who allegedly held his wife and stepson at gunpoint in April, has been found incompetent to stand trial. The Ozark County Times reports 54-year-old Barry Scott Brown of Caulfield was recently committed by the court to the custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

According to the order of commitment, Brown “lacks capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist in his own defense, and lacks mental fitness at this time to proceed with the charges against him.”

The court date for Brown has been canceled, and the Department of Mental Health is to report back to the court in six months to determine if Brown has regained his competency to stand trial.

Brown was arrested April 19th after Ozark County authorities received a call from Brown’s wife saying he was holding her and her son at gun point with a shotgun and uzi-type firearm. The woman and child were able to escape, met responding officers and informed them Brown was headed east.

After Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed notified West Plains police about Brown headed towards their town, officers were able to locate and stop the vehicle Brown was driving, but not before he allegedly held another person at gunpoint at another West Plains gas station.

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