Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge in Ohio has ordered a competency evaluation of a former deep-sea treasure hunter who's jailed for refusing to answer questions about the location of 500 missing gold coins.
Defendant Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since mid-December, when Judge Algenon Marbley found he violated a plea deal by refusing to respond. Thompson must also pay $1,000 a day until he cooperates.
The judge on Wednesday ordered Thompson to be evaluated to determine whether a "neurological defect" is preventing him from complying with the plea deal.
Thompson has said he told everything he knew during depositions last fall. His attorney hasn't returned a message seeking comment.
The coins were minted from gold taken from the S.S. America, which sank in a hurricane off South Carolina in 1857.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.