A man charged in connection with a standoff with police in Geneseo in December has been found fit to stand trail in Henry County Circuit Court.
Gerald Edwards, 36, of Geneseo was found fit to stand trail by Judge Ted Hamer after a review of psychologist Kirk Witherspoon’s report.
Edwards waived formal arraignment on 12 counts related to the Dec. 11, 2009, standoff in downtown Geneseo.
The charges stemmed from a Feb. 17 grand jury indictment; six charges filed previously were dismissed in order to move forward on the new case.
He is charged with eight counts attempted murder, home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint and possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card.
Edwards offered a quiet “yes sir” to the judge’s numerous questions as to whether his attorney had explained to him various aspects of the charges.
Attorneys did not discuss whether Edwards was mentally incapacitated at the time of the offense.
It was noted that two pages of Witherspoon’s report apparently addressed that issue.
Defense attorney Michael Clancy said he will seek a medical expert to testify, but he noted each expert that he contacted has told him they would need at least 60 days to conduct the exam and file a report. They waived Edwards’ right to a speedy trial.
The judge didn’t rule on Edwards’ request to change jail rules to allow him to see more than two of his children at a time.
Clancy noted Edwards is the father of five children, and his ex-wife lives six hours away.
The judge said he doesn’t tell the sheriff how to run the jail, and the sheriff doesn’t tell him how to run his courtroom. “That’s fine with me, but I’m not going to order him to do it,” said Hamer.
Edwards remains in jail on $2 million bail.
The case was put on the jury trial list for the week of June 28; the next pre-trial hearing will be May 20.
Geneseo, Ill. —
