FAYETTE COUNTY — Judge Alan Lolie found a 40-year-old Millstadt man not guilty by reason of insanity in a Fayette County bench trial Tuesday where he was accused of kidnapping and car theft in Vandalia last year.

According to court records, based upon evidence brought before the court, the defense proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant Scott Harper is not guilty by reason of insanity.

Despite an objection from the prosecution, Judge Lolie ordered the Department of Human Services to evaluate Harper for 30 days to determine his need for mental health treatment.

Harper was arrested in April of last year after a Vandalia police officer spotted him driving a grey car on Kennedy Boulevard in Vandalia and believed the vehicle was stolen.

Vandalia dispatch confirmed a vehicle had just been stolen from the parking lot of the Circle K Convenience Store and there was a 2-year-old child inside the car.

After a pursuit on eastbound Interstate 70 that reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour in a construction zone, officers were able to block the vehicle at the weigh station in Brownstown.

Harper was taken into custody and the child was rescued from the vehicle and reunited with their father.

The case is scheduled for a June 17 hearing on the status of Harper’s mental health evaluation