MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — A Skagit County man accused of shooting a police officer was found competent to stand trial.
The trial of 47-year-old Ernesto Lee Rivas is scheduled to begin Wednesday on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports it’s from a standoff in 2016 that left Mount Vernon officer Michael McClaughry blind after he was shot in the head.
Lawyers for Rivas raised questions about his competency prompting the court to order an evaluation.
The evaluator determined Rivas understands the justice system and the charges against him.