A Central Whidbey man who cut down power poles and was arrested by SWAT teams after a day-long siege of his home last month is not competent to stand trial, according to an evaluation by a state psychologist.

Joshua G. Burden appeared in Island County Superior Court briefly on Monday for the results of a competency evaluation. The judge first ordered the evaluation last December after Burden was charged in a felony domestic violence case, but it wasn’t completed until after the most recent incident.

The psychologist wrote that 44-year-old Burden may suffer from a disorder on the schizophrenia spectrum. He also concluded that it is more likely than not that Burden currently lacks the capacity to understand the nature of the legal proceedings against him.

As a result, the judge ordered that Burden should be sent to a state treatment facility to have his competency restored. The report states that there is a potential need for an involuntary medication order.

In the report, the psychologist explained that Burden refused to participate in an evaluation. He told a mental health provider that he does not recognize “a state entity.” He called the provider a “traitor” and said he only recognizes Jesus Christ.

In December 2023, prosecutors charged Burden with a series of domestic violence charges, including two counts of assault in the second degree and unlawful imprisonment, after he allegedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend’s face and threw a boulder through a car window, according to court documents.

In September, Burden allegedly violated a no-contact order, tried to get guns, eluded police, crashed his car and fled to his home; he then cut power lines on his own property and was heard screaming about God, operating machinery and possibly shooting a gun, according to court documents.

Given Burden’s volatility, deputies with the Island County Sheriff’s Office decided not to immediately confront him on his property to avoid the possibility of violence. But law enforcement decided to act after Burden cut down a power pole onto Highway 525, which caused a lengthy shutdown of the highway. A team of officers and SWAT teams from different jurisdictions surrounded his home all day and urged him to give up.

In the end, law enforcement was able to talk to him through a robot that approached the house and he surrendered.