The attorney for a man accused in a violent attempted kidnapping outside a St. Augustine vape shop wants his client declared mentally unfit to stand trial, The Citizen has learned.
The defendant, Theodore Michael Tundidor, 31, was arrested on June 29 following a multi-agency manhunt that began when he allegedly dragged Emma Marine, 18, from a store and tried to force her into his stolen truck in broad daylight.
The incident, which drew national headlines and was caught on security video, ended when a bystander intervened and called 911, prompting the suspect to flee.
Marine drew praise for courageously fighting off the attack and screaming for help.
But the case has now shifted from the public safety spotlight to the courtroom, where Tundidor’s mental state is at the center of a legal debate.
In a motion filed by his defense attorney, the court was asked to order a mental health evaluation.
The filing cites concerning behavior observed by the defense, including Tundidor’s inappropriate conduct in the presence of counsel, disorientation, and an inability to assist in preparing his defense.
The court approved the request for a psychiatric evaluation, the results of which are pending.
Tundidor currently faces a slew of charges including kidnapping, robbery, grand theft auto, DUI, and fleeing law enforcement.
The suspect was was on probation at the time of the arrest — for allegedly causing $38,000 in damage with a hammer during a drunken outburst at his mother’s home in Broward County, records show.
He had been sentenced to 12 months probation after police say he destroyed multiple rooms of his mother’s Plantation home in November.
Officers responding to that incident walked in on smashed electronics, broken glass, ripped paintings, and a pulverized toilet.
