Opinion ID: 2600749
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Proceedings Pending a Competency Determination

Text: During a pretrial hearing on March 13, 2000, counsel for the defendant orally moved for a competency evaluation: MR. BROWN: I have a matter as far as an oral motion on a competency evaluation request. Do you want to do that now? THE COURT: That's fine. We can do that now. MR. BROWN: I indicated to the Court and counsel I visited with my client and I don't want to go into specifics, but given the things that have occurred since I've come into the case, I think a competency evaluation would be warranted. I believe we have a local mental health facility available to do this. THE COURT: That wouldn't slow things down. Any objection by the State? MR. BORK: The State has no objection with the motion, Your Honor. THE COURT: Motion will be granted and I think that can be performed here by Four County Mental Health. MR. BROWN: And I might be mistaken, but don't we need to do an arraignment on the 2000 case? A competency evaluation was ordered. The district judge then proceeded to the pending arraignment and ruled on several other motions. The court received the results of the evaluation prior to trial. On the morning of trial, the district judge stated: The first matter we need to take up has to do with the motion for competency determination. It is my understanding that Mr. Boorigie has been through that process, and in fact this morning when I got here, I received an envelope. Apparently it was mailed several days ago, but I only got it this morning, but it contains the report from Four County Mental Health and in sum that report indicates Mr. Boorigie is competent to stand trial. I'll just simply ask counsel for defense do you have anything additional to add? Neither the defense counsel nor the prosecutor stated any additional information. The judge continued: All right. Based on the conclusions in the report, I'll make a finding for the record then, Mr. Boorigie, that you are competent to stand trial. Boorigie contends that the trial court violated Boorigie's statutory and due process rights when it failed to stay all proceedings pending a determination of whether he was competent to stand trial. K.S.A. 22-3302 provides, in part: (1) At any time after the defendant has been charged with a crime and before pronouncement of sentence, the defendant, the defendant's counsel or the prosecuting attorney may request a determination of the defendant's competency to stand trial. If, upon the request of either party or upon the judge's own knowledge and observation, the judge before whom the [criminal] case is pending finds that there is reason to believe that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial the proceedings shall be suspended and a hearing conducted to determine the competency of the defendant. (Emphasis added.) Boorigie now argues that the statute clearly states that if the judge finds reason to believe the defendant is incompetent, all proceedings shall be suspended until competency of the person charged can be determined. The State asserts that the statute is directory rather than mandatory. The State then argues that even if the statute is mandatory, Boorigie invited error when after the motion for a competency evaluation was granted, his counsel suggested that other matters be taken up by the judge. Here, based on the statement of defense counsel, the judge had reason to doubt Boorigie's competency. Was it error for the district judge to continue with motions and other proceedings pending an evaluation? First, we note that defense counsel requested that the judge continue with the arraignment on the 2000 case. A litigant may not invite and lead a trial court into error and then complain of the trial court's action on appeal. State v. Saleem, 267 Kan. 100, 109, 977 P.2d 921 (1999). Furthermore, the defendant's subsequent competency evaluation determined that the defendant was competent to stand trial. Although Boorigie suggests that he may have been incompetent at the time of the arraignment on the 2000 case and subsequent pretrial motions conducted prior to the competency evaluation, he was found to be competent. Boorigie is unable to state any decisions the judge made during that period in which the proceeds should have been suspended that may have prejudiced his rights to a fair trial. Under our circumstance, it does not matter if the statute is directory or mandatory. Errors that do not affirmatively cause prejudice to the substantial rights of the complaining party do not require reversal when substantial justice has been done. State v. Clark, 263 Kan. 370, 376, 949 P.2d 1099 (1997).