Jan. 05--A former Winnetka teacher and Scout leader facing charges he sexually abused children decades ago at a Wyoming camp will undergo a mental competency exam at his Michigan home this week, rather than at the county jail.
The exam is intended to help determine if Bill Bricker, 94, can be extradited to Wyoming to face the charges that he molested three children at the camp in the 1960s and 1980s.
One of Bricker's lawyers, Michael Lewis, said his client is receiving hospice care and near death.
"When I last talked with Mr. Bricker's family over the weekend, they said he is just staring at the ceiling and not able to identify who is in the room," Lewis said. "The (doctor) may just say his physical condition is so bad, determining his mental condition is untenable."
The exam, due to take place Thursday, will be given by a psychiatrist from Michigan's Center for Forensic Psychiatry, Lewis said, and will determine if Bricker has the mental capacity to understand the extradition proceedings.
Michigan prosecutor Robert Cooney said the mental competency exam will be administered by a state psychiatrist and will evaluate both Bricker's mental and physical health.
Bricker taught at Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka for more than 35 years.
kcullotta@tribpub.com
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