Judge grants mental evaluation for Georgia veteran charged with crashing into Army post's offices

A federal judge has agreed to order a mental evaluation for a former Army soldier charged with crashing a military Humvee into an office building for base commanders at Fort Stewart in southeastern Georgia.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps granted prosecutors’ request for the evaluation to help determine whether 39-year-old Treamon Dominic Lacy is mentally competent to stand trial. Court records show the decision was made during Lacy’s initial court appearance Tuesday.

Army investigators say that Lacy, a former Army mechanic who retired as a staff sergeant in 2013, stole a Humvee from a Fort Stewart motor pool Monday morning and then plowed the armored vehicle through the glass front doors of the Army post’s headquarters.

No one was injured. The damaged building houses the offices of Fort Stewart’s commanding general and other leaders. Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is home to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. It’s the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River.

Lacy was detained at the scene of the crash and arrested by military police. He remained jailed Wednesday in Liberty County on federal charges of theft and destruction of government property.

Lacy’s attorney, Troy Marsh, said in an email Wednesday that he had no comment on the case.

Authorities have not given a suspected motive for the crash. The judge sealed court documents related to the pending mental evaluation for Lacy.

Fort Stewart officials said in a statement Tuesday that Lacy was a military retiree, which allowed him access to the post. He served on active duty from 2002 until 2013 and deployed twice to Iraq, according to the statement.

That’s less than the standard 20 years of service required for most U.S. military members to reach retirement. However, some are granted early retirement, including for medical disabilities.