The 25-year-old Hutchinson man arrested on child sex charges was in court Monday for a competency hearing.
Michael Wayne Stahl is charged with 4-counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, two counts of electronic solicitation, and one count of attempted indecent liberties with a child. Two of the counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child are alternate counts to the other two, meaning the state has two different theories of the crimes charged.
Stahl is alleged to have been communicating with two 13-year-old girls through facebook and also by text. That apparently led to him meeting the girls and then the sexual encounters occurring.
In court, there were two competing claims on whether he’s competent for the case to continue, one stated because he is mildly retarded, he may not be able to understand what is happening to him, but did well on other test. Both sides agree there is no mental issues.
Dr. Mark Goodman, a clinical psychologist testified that he gave Stahl a mental exam back on January 18, which showed he had an I-Q of 66, and has the comprehension of a 10 or 11-year-old child. He claims that Stahl had a difficult time expressing himself and stated he knew what he was doing with the 13-year-old’s was wrong, but didn’t see it as a big deal. He told the doctor that he believed the girls were happy, that they enjoyed it. He also apparently looked at porn sights prior to what happened.
But, Barbara Gombosi with Horizon’s Mental Health Center who also conducted test on Stahl and says he had gotten perfect scores on all the test she gave him.
Judge Joe McCarville found he was competent to stand trial saying he does understand what is happening and can contribute to his defense. He scheduled the case for a preliminary hearing in front of Magistrate Judge Randy McEwen for February 12.
Police became involved in the case when two reports were made to them and a detective then started communicating with Stahl. He posed as a 14-year-old girl. That led to Stahl showing up at an abandoned residence where thought he was meeting the 14-year-old, but met police instead.