PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota man accused of punching a
female Highway Patrol trooper three times in the face will undergo
a psychological evaluation before being sentenced.
Seventy-seven-year-old Chester Strickland of Onida last month
pleaded no contest to charges including assault of a law officer.
Authorities say he punched the trooper during a traffic stop north
of Pierre in August 2010.
He was to be sentenced Wednesday, but KCCR radio reports that
Judge Kathleen Trandahl ordered the psychological examination
instead. Trandahl says a pre-sentence report indicates that
Strickland's actions "were bizarre and out of character."
Strickland will be tested for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-10-20-11 0942EDT
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