TOLEDO, Ohio – A man accused of driving more than 125 mph and causing a crash that killed two people on the Ohio Turnpike is now competent to stand trial, a judge has ruled.
Andrew Gans, of Kent, next will undergo another court-ordered evaluation to determine if he was insane at the time of crash.
He appeared in a Sandusky County court on Wednesday for a competency hearing. The court had until the end of February to determine if Gans could go to trial after he was found incompetent to stand trial a year ago.
Gans pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to vehicular homicide charges. He has a history of mental health issues and has been hospitalized for psychiatric care before, his attorney said.
Gans was arrested on Thanksgiving night in 2013 after authorities say he struck a minivan on the turnpike near Fremont, killing a 77-year-old Toledo couple, Wilbur and Margaret McCoy.
The State Highway Patrol said Gans was weaving through holiday traffic at speeds so fast that troopers were unable to catch up with him. Other drivers said his car passed them like they were standing still.
Troopers said Gans, who was not seriously injured in the crash, told them that he had been drinking and took prescription drugs, but authorities later said blood tests showed he did not have either in his system.
Gans spent the past year at a psychiatric hospital in Toledo after being ruled incompetent to stand trial.
The hospital will now evaluate whether he was insane at the time of the crash before setting a trial date, defense attorney Terry Rudes said.
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