Opinion ID: 1652510
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Fitness to Proceed

Text: Davis asserts that the circuit court erred in failing to sua sponte hold a hearing on competency. Although Davis asked for and received a mental evaluation, no hearing on his mental fitness was requested and none was held. Where a mental evaluation is undertaken, and neither party contests the evaluation, a hearing need not be held. Greene v. State, 335 Ark. 1, 977 S.W.2d 192 (1998): A defendant in a criminal case is ordinarily presumed to be mentally competent to stand trial, and the burden of proving incompetence is upon the defendant. Mask v. State, 314 Ark. 25, 32, 869 S.W.2d 1, 5 (1993). However, a circuit court must order a hearing on competency sua sponte when there is reasonable doubt about the defendant's competency to stand trial. Jacobs v. State, 294 Ark. 551, 553, 744 S.W.2d 728, 729 (1988) (citing Campbell v. Lockhart, 789 F.2d 644 (8th Cir.1986)). It was Davis's burden to prove there was reasonable doubt about Davis's competency to stand trial. There was no duty on the circuit judge to sua sponte order a competency hearing under the facts in this case.