A 21-year-old Clinton, Iowa man charged in Reno County with electronic solicitation of child had been found to be competent to stand trial. That was the finding on Clarence Eade by Paula Thompson with Horizon’s Mental Health Center in Hutchinson.

Defense Attorney Kelly Driscoll had earlier argued that she believed her client may be suffering from mental illness or defect and that he may not be competent enough to understand the proceedings surrounding the charges against him, but that is apparently not the case, so Wednesday, Driscoll asked that the case be set for a preliminary hearing. Judge Joe McCarville granted her request and set the hearing for July 24th.

Eade was arrested back in early May on a Reno County warrant and was brought to Hutchinson on the allegation that he made contact with a 15-year-old girl by e-mail and texting with the hopes of convincing the child to have an unlawful sexual relationship with him. One police were made aware of what was going on, they set it up so that Eade thought he was still texting the girl, but in fact was texting Hutchinson Police Detective Scott Carlton which led to a warrant being issued for his arrest.

The complaint indicates a date of March 16, of last year, for the contact with the 15-year-old, but Carlton indicates that his contact with Eade occurred during the summer months of last year.

With the mental exam out of the way, the case can now proceed.