Lima man charged in Leipsic area fatal shooting ordered to be evaluated

OTTAWA — A Lima man charged with a fatal shooting near Leipsic in April is being evaluated for his competency to stand trial.

During a recent hearing in Putnam County Common Pleas Court, Konner Dunklee, 26, was ordered to be evaluated by the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Toledo.

He has entered a not guilty by reason of insanity plea on charges of aggravated murder, an unclassified felony; murder, an unclassified felony; attempt to commit an offense, a first-degree felony; felonious assault, a second-degree felony; and assault, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The charges stem from an incident on April 18 at Kitchen Family Trucking, 6302 Pro Tec Parkway (Putnam County Road 5), southeast of Leipsic.

Farrah Croninger, 30, Deshler, was found deceased at the scene while Michael Kitchen, 54, Ottawa, also was injured and taken to Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima.

Dunklee’s case had been scheduled for a pretrial hearing on June 20 following an initial not guilty plea, but this has been vacated pending the aforementioned evaluation. A hearing eventually will be held to rule on the defendant’s competency after the evaluation and report is received from the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center.

Dunklee, who is represented by attorney Drew Mihalik of Findlay, is being held in Putnam County Jail without bond. Judge Keith Schierloh had ruled in April that Dunklee “poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm to any person and to the community” and that “no release conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community.”