Atascadero, CA -- The woman accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy in Atascadero last month was found mentally incompetent to stand trial yesterday. 52-year-old Annette Hale was examined by two doctors who determined that she’s not capable of understanding the court process or assisting in her own defense. Hale was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the boy at an Atascadero homeless shelter August 5 and keeping him in a vacant car dealership for most of the day while authorities and volunteers coordinated an intensive search.

Hale is scheduled to return to the courtroom on September 14, when she’ll be assigned a mental health institution to receive treatment. After her arrest, Hale told a judge in a video conference from County Jail that she was a CIA agent who was trying to protect the boy from his mother, because she wasn’t his real mother. Hale’s daughter told The Tribune that her mother has suffered from delusional thinking for more than two decades. Criminal proceedings against her have been suspended until Hale is found fit to stand trial.