Competency exam to be given to Cole in La Crosse attempted homicide case

Freeman Cole will get a competency exam to see if he can be tried for attempted murder for an attack on a woman inside a storage unit in La Crosse.

Cole’s attorney asked for the exam during a court hearing Wednesday. Judge Gloria Doyle granted the request.

Police said two passersby heard screams coming from a storage unit in the Fiesta Court area on Oct. 3. Those witnesses found Cole inside the unit, beating the victim.

Cole ran from the scene. He was arrested about a month later in Florida.

Cole was scheduled to have an evidence hearing Wednesday, when his defense attorney requested the examination.

Results will be reviewed at Cole’s Dec. 29 hearing.