SAGINAW, MI — A Saginaw man charged with sexually assaulting a mentally handicapped woman earlier this year will undergo an exam to determine whether he's mentally fit for trial.
Saginaw County District Judge M.T. Thompson on Monday, Sept. 30, approved a request to have Derrick Conway undergo a psychiatric exam.
Conway's attorney, Philip Sturtz, requested the exam, to which defendants are entitled.
Soon, doctors at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti will interview Conway to determine whether he's mentally competent and can be held criminally responsible.
Conway, 50, is charged with five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Conway is charged with sexually assaulting the woman, who is in her early 20s, from April to June in Saginaw. His arrest warrant alleges that he used force or coercion and/or caused personal injury and/or sexually assaulted the woman while she was “physically helpless or mentally incapacitated or mentally incapable.”
First-degree criminal sexual conduct, the most serious of sexual offenses, involves penetration.
Conway remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.
— Andy Hoag covers courts for MLive/The Saginaw News. Email him at ahoag@mlive.com or f
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