Mental tests ordered for man accused of killing Fort Dodge pastor
January 3, 2020 11:44AM CST
FORT DODGE (AP) — A mental competency evaluation has been ordered for a man accused of beating to death a pastor outside a Fort Dodge church.
A judge recently approved a request from the attorney for 36-year-old Joshua Pendleton. The attorney says his client has been acting irrationally.
Pendleton has pleaded not guilty in the Oct. 2 slaying of the Rev. Allen Henderson. Court records say Pendleton acknowledged to investigators that he fought with a man at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge.
The 64-year-old Henderson was senior pastor at St. Paul and had served as a chaplain to area first responders.
