Defendant's mental health becomes issue
Updated: 5/15/2010 9:53 pm | Published: 5/15/2010 9:47 pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A 51-year-old man charged with deliberately driving his car into schoolchildren last year is being considered as a candidate for mental health court.
Prosecutor Sandi Johnson says it's unclear what type of mental illness may be affecting Luka Kang.
Kang is accused of running down a group of Kearns Junior High students on a sidewalk after school in May 2009.
He's charged with 12 counts of aggravated assault - six counts for students either struck or touched by the car and six counts for students who narrowly avoided being hit.
No one was seriously injured, but three boys were sent to the hospital.
If Kang's case is moved to mental health court, the focus will shift from incarceration to treatment with medication and monitoring.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
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