Wells Hall meth suspect ruled incompetent for trial, could regain fitness

A man charged in connection with a methamphetamine-related incident at Wells Hall on Michigan State University's campus was found incompetent to stand trial Friday in 54-B District Court. Xin Tong, 31, faces felony charges of malicious destruction of a building over $20,000 and operating or maintaining a meth lab.

Judge Lisa Babcock, sitting in for Judge Molly Hennessy Greenwalt, said a competency evaluation found Tong unfit to stand trial but "likely to attain competence." Ingham County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Randall Behrmann and Tong's attorney, Zhu Shen, agreed with the finding, and Tong will be referred to a center for forensic psychiatry for treatment. Hennessy Greenwalt had ordered the competency exam June 5 after Shen said Tong struggled to communicate and often spoke about unrelated research and scientific ideas during jail visits.

MSU police responding to a trespassing complaint found Tong on the fifth floor of Wells Hall on April 26 carrying bags of substances used to manufacture methamphetamine, along with an expired student ID. Campus police also investigated related property damage inside the building that week. Tong was arraigned April 29 and remains held at the Ingham County Jail on a $500,000 cash or surety bond, with an additional hold placed by the Department of Homeland Security. A competency review hearing is set for Nov. 13.

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