Defense for Colville boy requests mental evaluation

The attorney for an 11-year-old Colville boy accused of plotting to rape and kill a classmate filed a motion today to have the boy’s competency evaluated. Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said the motion was granted and the boy will be evaluated by doctors at Eastern State Hospital. The tests will evaluate the boy’s ability to stand trial and his sanity. The hospital will provide an update to the courts by May 13, Rasmussen said. The boy has been charged with conspiring to kill a classmate and tampering with a witness. A 10-year-old boy plead guilty to the same charges April 8. A sentencing hearing in that case is scheduled for next month. The two fifth-grade boys were arrested Feb. 7 after officials at Fort Colville Elementary School discovered the boys trying to sneak a stolen gun and a knife into their school as part of a documented plan to kill a classmate. Don Richter, the attorney for the 11-year-old, declined to comment Monday.