Dunklee found competent to face murder charge

Jul. 16—OTTAWA — Konner Dunklee, the Lima man charged with murder and other assorted felony counts in the April 18 shooting death of a woman at a Leipsic trucking company, has been found competent to stand trial.

That ruling was announced by Putnam County Common Pleas Court Judge Keith Schierloh during a brief hearing Tuesday morning. Dunklee's attorney, Drew Mahalik, asked the court to permit a second, independent evaluation of his client and said a motion to that effect would be filed by the end of the business day on Wednesday. Schierloh said the court would reach out to the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio in Dayton to schedule a date for the follow-up review.

Dunklee, 26, faces a multiple charge in the shooting death of Deshler resident Farrah Croninger, 30, at Kitchen Enterprises Trucking Company in Leipsic. He was indicted by a Putnam County grand jury in April on single counts of aggravated murder, murder, attempt to cause an offense and felonious assault.

Croninger died, police say, when Dunklee entered the Leipsic business and opened fire. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the scene and found Croninger dead at the scene. Michael Kitchen, 54, was also injured during the shooting and was transported to Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima.

Dunklee entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in May and filed a written motion asking the court to order an evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial. Judge Keith Schierloh approved that request.

Dunklee is being held in the Putnam County jail on a $1 million bond. His jury trial originally set for July 15 has been postponed.