A Greene County District Court Judge has ruled that a Jefferson man accused of kidnapping his son will undergo a competency examination.

According to court documents, on February 8th, the defense attorney for 34-year-old Brandon Duong said that after talking with Duong and a relative, he believes that Duong is suffering from a mental disorder, “which prevents (him) from appreciating the charge, understanding the proceedings, or assisting effectively in his defense.” 

On January 30th, Duong allegedly took his biological son from Greene County Elementary School without permission as he is restricted from having custody of his son from a court order that was filed in December of 2023. He and his son were found in Plymouth County where they left the vehicle Duong was driving and used his son as a “human shield” between him and law enforcement, while holding a firearm. He was taken into custody and was charged with a Class B Felony for second degree kidnapping-armed with a dangerous weapon and a Class D Felony for violation of custodial order-relative. 

Court documents show that on March 4th, a competency hearing was held and based on the information that was submitted at the hearing, District Court Judge Derek Johnson ruled that there was probable cause to support the allegations. 

Judge Johnson further ordered that Duong undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if Duong is suffering from a mental disorder, and that a staff member from the Iowa Medical and Classification Center shall conduct the evaluation. The court has ordered a review of the evaluation by April 15th and until then, all proceedings in this case are suspended. 

Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.