Hutchinson ? A Hutchinson man accused of putting two young children in a clothes dryer will be sent to Larned State Security Hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial.

Aron Pritchard, 27, was charged with a single count of child abuse and another count of endangering a child after he placed a 3-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl in a clothes dryer on Nov. 28, 2006.

Pritchard pleaded not guilty in March.

Prosecutors allege Pritchard put the children in the hot dryer to punish them for wetting their pants. The boy was treated for second-degree burns but the girl was not injured.

After a pretrial hearing Monday, District Judge Tim Chambers ordered that Pritchard be sent to Larned for treatment.

After Chambers denied Pritchard’s request that his transfer be delayed so he could say goodbye to his family, Pritchard erupted into a profanity-laced tirade.

Pritchard will remain in the state hospital until professionals determine if he is fit to stand trial.