Man Charged With Hit-And-Run Death Of Lansing Firefighter Unfit For Trial

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - A young man accused of intentionally striking a Lansing firefighter with his pickup truck has been found mentally incompetent, which will indefinitely delay his murder trial.

Ingham County Judge Clinton Canady III looked at an expert's report and said 23-year-old Grant Taylor can't assist his attorney. He'll return to a state psychiatric center for treatment.

After the hearing Wednesday, prosecutor John Dewane tells the Lansing State Journal that authorities have 15 months to restore Taylor's mental health before charges would be dropped.

Firefighter Dennis Rodeman was struck and killed last September at the intersection of Cedar and Jolly Road in Lansing collecting donations for Fill the Boot — an annual fundraising campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and International Association of Firefighters.

Taylor, who has a history of bipolar disorder and other mental illness, told police he was angry with the firefighters whose charitable efforts were slowing traffic, court records show. He fled the scene following the crash and, according to police, expressed no remorse about what he'd done.

Taylor's mother had petitioned Ingham County Probate Court twice the two years leading up to the incident to involuntarily hospitalize him for mental health reasons, the newspaper reported, citing court records.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero called Rodeman, a seven-year veteran of LFD who also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, "a hero twice over" — calling his death "a senseless, unthinkable tragedy" that shocked the community.

Rodeman's wife was pregnant with their first child at the time of his death.

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