Simmons set for mental evaluation

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

A mental evaluation has been ordered for the youth minister accused of molesting children in his congregation.

The suspect, Jeffery Simmons, is charged with six counts of inappropriate conduct involving children, ranging from solicitation of a child to child rape. The most serious count of child rape carries a 15-25 year sentence.

The charges have been leveled against the former Gath Baptist youth minister over a more than two-year period. The allegations involve claims by girls, ages 10-13, that Simmons molested them in various ways while he was a youth minister. The most recent charge came in October when a 12-year-old girl came forward and claimed child rape. Simmons has been in jail since his arrest more than two years ago on the original molestation charges. He is set for trial April 24.

However, the trial date depends on the findings of experts from Plateau Mental Health who will conduct the court-ordered evaluation. In directing the tests, at the request of Simmons’ defense team, Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley directed mental health experts to test Simmons’ competency to stand trial.

The order noted they should also look at the possibility of retardation or mental deficiencies. The court also wants to find out if Simmons was competent at the time the crimes were committed.

While mental evaluations are often ordered, it has been rare when evaluators have declared a defendant not competent to stand trial. Should Simmons be found competent to stand trial, his trial will likely be held as scheduled.

Simmons has long maintained his innocence, recently claiming prosecutors brought the most recent child rape charge against him because he “blew the whistle” on them for their alleged wrongful treatment of other accused child molesters. Simmons claims he has a 100 witnesses who will support his innocence when he goes to trial.

Simmons has filed a civil lawsuit regarding his arrest and what he calls false imprisonment. He has also filed numerous courthouse motions both in his criminal and civil cases.