VENTURA : Rape Suspect Ordered Tested for Competency

A Ventura man who claims to hear voices and speak with the devil was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluations before facing charges of attempted murder, rape and robbery.

Dallas Keith Carter, 24, is unable to understand the nature of the charges against him and cannot assist in his own defense, Deputy Public Defender Gary Windom said.

“Every time I see him, and my investigator has observed the same thing, he’s unable to sit down and talk about the nature of the charges,” Windom said. “ ‘Mr. D,’ or Damien as he calls him, is laughing at him and demanding he commit suicide.”

Carter is charged in an April 22 attack on a 14-year-old Ventura girl, who was choked into unconsciousness and then raped in the bedroom of the Ventura home of her friend, Windom said. The teen-ager survived the assault.

The robbery allegation stems from Carter allegedly taking the victim’s purse after the attack, Windom said.

Superior Court Judge Allan L. Steele ordered two psychiatric evaluations before June 18, when he will make a determination as to the defendant’s competency to stand trial.

If Carter is determined to be competent enough to understand the charges and help in his defense, he would be ordered back to Municipal Court for a preliminary hearing, Windom said.