Crime & Safety
Case Delayed for Moss Beach Man Charged With Attempted Murder
Court still waiting for doctors' mental competency reports for defendant David Vanalstine.
Criminal proceedings were further suspended today for the Moss Beach man who allegedly into his roommate's neck in 2010, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office said this afternoon.
Defendant David Vanalstine — who is facing charges for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery — had originally been scheduled for a jury trial in county court last month.
In December, Vanalstine's lawyer Frank Bell asked the court for permission to receive a for his client after Bell expressed doubts regarding the 57-year-old's competency.
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"Defense counsel is not required to state on the record the reasons that he believes his client may not be competent to stand trial," San Mateo County Chief Criminal Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti told Half Moon Bay Patch in December. "All he has to do is say that he has some doubt as to his client's competency."
Dr. Paul Good and San Francisco psychiatrist Dr. Eric Woodward were assigned to administer the evaluation, according to Guidotti.
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Scheduled to appear in court this morning, Vanalstine's case was delayed again as the court has yet to receive the doctors' reports, Guidotti said this afternoon.
Vanalstine is next expected to appear in court on Feb. 22, when the court will receive the doctors' reports.
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