Comment on Judge: Habitual offender again deemed incompetent to stand trial

WILKES-BARRE — A repeat offender whose mental status has long stymied prosecutors was again ruled mentally unfit to face his latest set of charges, according to a judge’s ruling Friday in Luzerne County Court. Paul Woychio, 44, formerly of Nanticoke and Hanover Township and with a most recent address of Dupont, has been accused of selling cocaine to undercover cops, stealing on numerous occasions and yelling a racial slur at a black man, according to archived reports. Court records dating back to 1989 show several dozen criminal cases have been filed against Woychio, who suffered permanent brain damage in a 1993 motorcycle wreck. Many of the charges, ranging from summary offenses to felonies, have resulted in convictions.