Mental Exam Ordered for Suspect

ABERDEEN, Miss. (AP) – A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a man charged with setting fire to a north Mississippi business.

U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock in Aberdeen ordered the exam on Tuesday after Larry Wayne Loftis’ attorney filed a motion saying he’s suicidal and likely unfit to stand trial.

Loftis is charged with conspiracy and arson related to a March 2011 fire at Lindley’s Antiques Mall in Oakland.

Loftis’ attorney, Tiffany Kilpatrick, asked for the mental evaluation on Aug. 30. She said Loftis has suffered from mental illness for at least 17 years, since he survived being stabbed in the head.

Loftis is being held in the Lafayette County Detention Center, where jailers found 400 pills in his cell. His lawyer says he was stashing is medication to commit suicide.