By Carrie Spencer
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - A psychiatrist said he found the man charged in a series of Columbus-area highway shootings competent to stand trial despite a profound case of paranoid schizophrenia.

Charles A. McCoy Jr., 28, of Columbus, has pleaded innocent to 24 counts, including the November shooting death of a 62-year-old woman who was the only person hit in the series of crimes from mid-2003 to Feb. 14. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

McCoy has had the illness marked by persistent delusions and hallucinations for at least 10 years and requires medication "to achieve and/or maintain competence," said a sworn statement by Dr. Mark Mills filed Thursday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. While medicated, McCoy understands he is charged with several serious crimes and is able to communicate with his attorneys and assist them in his defense, Mills said.

"We'll just march forward based on this report," Judge Charles A. Schneider said. Both sides are to file motions dealing with trial procedures today, and the trial is set for January.

The defense is relieved that there's no delay needed to evaluate and change McCoy's treatment, and that McCoy is able to understand and work with his attorneys, lead attorney Andrew Haney said.

Franklin County jail records indicate the dose of his medication has been increased a few times since his arrest in March, Haney said. He is taking a drug to control delusions and another that regulates sleep and helps with depression, Mills' statement said.

Mills said he will have to work more with McCoy to help defense attorneys decide if they will change his plea to innocent by reason of insanity by Schneider's Sept. 3 deadline.

The competency decision dealt only with McCoy's state of mind now, not during the time of the shootings.

Mills, a professor with New York City-based Columbia University professor, has a private practice in Washington, D.C., and specializes in the legal aspects of psychiatry. He met with McCoy in jail for two days last month and reviewed his medical history.

"Generally, people with schizophrenia are miserable," Mills said, and the correct drugs can reduce the misery and help the person function normally.

Schneider approved paying up to $6,250 in public funds for a psychiatrist, at $250 per hour for as many as 25 hours, and spending $5,000 for a private investigator for the defense. McCoy's family is paying his three attorneys.

A message seeking comment was left with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien.