W-b Woman Jailed In Alleged Shouting Of Obscenities 
Debbie Thurston Was 
Previously Fined After Being 
Found Guilty Of Harassment And 
Disorderly Conduct

Abortion Protesters From Area Rallying

By JERRY LYNOTT; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, January 23, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





SCRANTON- A federal magistrate ordered David Chipps to undergo a
psychiatric evaluation, despite the Wilkes-Barre man's protests that he is
competent to stand trial and act as his own attorney. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At his arraignment Thursday on charges he threatened to murder a judge and
employees in the federal courthouse in Scranton and failed to appear at his
trial on those charges, Chipps pleaded not guilty and argued against further
tests that he labeled "harassment." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I'm fully competent. This is outrageous, outrageous garbage," he shouted
as he stood in leg shackles before U.S. Magistrate Thomas Blewitt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Chipps, 44, appeared in U.S. District Court, Scranton, for the first time
since fleeing to Canada on the eve of his trial. He spent a few days driving
between Toronto and Ottawa seeking asylum as a refugee from political
persecution before Canadian authorities detained him for not declaring that he
was fleeing prosecution. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Two days before Christmas, he was returned to the United States and has
since been in federal custody. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Assistant U.S. Attorney Malachy Mannion asked that Chipps be detained
because of his past flight while free on bail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mannion also asked Blewitt to order that a comprehensive psychiatric exam
be performed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Mr. Chipps may have a significant problem that may affect his competency,"
Mannion said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The request angered Chipps who said he had been evaluated last year and
declared able to represent himself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "For the most part, I was found to be perfectly competent and healthy," he
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The testing followed a grand jury indictment against Chipps last March
after he sent a letter to Senior U.S. Judge William Nealon, criticizing him
for past decisions the judge made in Chipps' civil cases. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The letter ended: "I am almost certain that you neo-Mafia scum heard that
blast in Oklahoma City ... it is just that you didn't hear it none-too-well.
What you'all heard, Nealon, was your future off in the distance." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The indictment has been amended twice to include new charges. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thomas Earley, a U.S. probation officer, confirmed that Chipps had been
evaluated by Catholic Social Services. But Earley added that Chipps was
ordered to undergo counseling or take medication after

Defendant In Threats Case To Take Mental Test, Magistrate Rules 
David Chipps Was Returned 
To The United States In December 
From Canada, Where He Had 
Fled Before His Scheduled Trial

Defendant In Threats Case To Take Mental Test, Magistrate Rules David Chipps Was Returned To The United States In December From Canada, Where He Had Fled Before His Scheduled Trial