Father of Takoda Collins ruled competent to stand trial
A Dayton man accused in the “extreme child abuse” of his 10-year-old son was ruled competent to stand trial Wednesday.
Al-Mutahan McLean, 30, appeared in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court for a competency evaluation hearing.
Common Pleas Judge Dennis Adkins found McLean is able to help in his own defense and the court proceedings should continue in the case.
McLean’s legal trouble began in December when his 10-year-old son, Takoda Collins, was rushed to Dayton Children’s Hospital after he became unresponsive. Takoda died the same night.
Police say through an investigation they discovered that Takoda was locked in an attic naked for an extended period of time. They also accused McLean of physically abusing the boy for years.
The Dayton Daily News, through its own investigation, has found that authorities were alerted several times to the potential abuse of the boy before he died.
McLean is now charged with four counts of endangering children, two counts of felonious assault and one count of rape.
The court’s competency finding wasn’t the only development in the case Wednesday. McLean, through his public defender Michael Pentecost, filed a motion to suppress evidence in the case.
In the motion, McLean’s attorney asks the court to not allow prosecutors to use statements McLean made to police during interrogations.
“Defendant submits that any incriminating statements of Defendant must be suppressed as the statements were involuntary and made without an accurate understanding and waiver of his constitutional rights and were obtained as the result of custodial interrogation without properly being advised of his constitutional rights...” the motion says.
The motion also asks the court to bar evidence obtained through a search at McLean’s home, 1934 Kensington Ave.
“Defendant further moves to suppress evidence seized as a result of an improper search his residence and any electronic device, including any iPad, tablet, computer and/or cell phone, as well as the unlawful disclosure of school and medical records in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution...” the motion says.
The Dayton Daily News previously reported authorities obtained a search warrant to collect evidence in the home. The return says law enforcement took four Taser style dog collars, two cell phones, a combination lock recovered from the upstairs attic and three pairs of work boots.
McLean isn’t the first suspect in the case to request the evidence be suppressed. His co-defendant and fiancee, Amanda Hinze, filed a similar motion in January. She is due in court later this month for a hearing.