While the public anticipates Harvey Updyke getting his head examined, his defense attorneys are insisting that Updyke's mind is not the only thing that needs a checkup.
The Alabama fan has been detained at the Lee County Detention Center since Thursday, Sept. 27, while waiting to be transferred to the Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa for a psychiatric evaluation.
According to reports by the Opelika-Auburn News, Updyke's defense attorneys Margaret Young Brown and Andrew Stanley filed a motion Thursday, Oct. 11, demanding Updyke be released from the LCDC to undergo "immediate and necessary" medical treatment.
The motion expresses concern for the lack of beds at Taylor Hardin and Updyke's need for medical treatment for issues "that require immediate treatment from the defendant's physicians in Louisiana."
According to the University of Alabama's website, Taylor Hardin has 115 beds and his been accredited by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations since 1985, receiving commendations that placed it in the top 5 percent of all hospitals nationally.
A representative of Taylor Hardin declined to comment on the defense's perceived lack of beds.
Updyke's health has been widely commented on since the beginnings of his trial, with various lawyers reminding the court that Updyke's history of poorly controlled diabetes may limit his ability to participate.
Updyke's $125,000 bond is still in place.
A court order issued Friday, Oct. 19, by Judge Jacob Walker III allowed District Attorney Robbie Treese 14 days to respond to the motion.
A new trial date has not been set following this delay in mental evaluation.
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