Judge Sends Suspect in Sheriff Death Back to Mental Facility

Prosecutors say a man accused of fatally shooting a sheriff in 2013 is returning to a psychiatric hospital for further evaluation.

Kanawha County Prosecutor Chuck Miller tells The Herald-Dispatch that a Cabell County circuit judge Thursday returned Tennis Melvin Maynard to William R. Sharpe Hospital, with an update expected in 90 days. The court hearing was closed to the media.

Police say Maynard shot ex-Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum in April 2013 in downtown Williamson.

In 2015, after a judge ruled Maynard incompetent to stand trial on murder and other charges, the Delbarton resident was committed to the hospital.

In March, the judge said he would let defense attorneys decide whether to challenge new hospital findings that Maynard was returned to competency. Maynard’s lawyer requested the hearing Thursday.