Whitfield might have one less patient if Dr. Arnold Smith has his way in court. The Taxpayers Channel reported:
Tulane University psychiatric experts have recommended that Dr. Arnold Smith be released from the State Mental Hospital at Whitfield and treated on an outpatient basis at his home in Jackson.
The Taxpayers Channel had reported last Wednesday that Smith's lawyers expected him to be released from Whitfield, and now more details emerge from the Hinds County Chancery Court. Our previous coverage may be seen here: Court filing suggests Arnold Smith may soon be released from Whitfield.
Dr. Smith was indicted for conspiring to murder Greenwood attorney Lee Abraham back in 2012. During a shoot-out at Abraham's Market Street office, investigators from the Attorney General's office shot and killed Keaira Byrd and wounded Derrick Lacy. Video later emerged which showed Dr. Smith instructing Byrd to shoot Abraham right between the eyes.
But the criminal case against Smith ground to a halt when Circuit Court Judge Breland Hilburn ruled that Smith was incompetent to stand trial, on account of his psychotic delusions of a persecutory nature. Smith was then committed to the State Mental Hospital at Whitfield where he has remained ever since.
Smith's attorney William Bell has been fighting to spring Dr. Smith from Whitfield in the Hinds County Chancery Court, but last February Judge Denise Owens rebuffed his efforts. She ruled that there has been no change in Smith's delusional disorder, and that he remains a violent risk both to himself and to others. She further determined that there was no viable alternative to his remaining in custody so that he may continue to receive his anti-psychotic injections.
Judge Owens' opinion may be seen here: Order Upholding Smith Committment to State Mental Hospital. Her opinion contains significant detail about Smith's mental condition and the opinions of his treating physicians and the various experts who have evaluated him.
But on August 23, Mr. Bell filed a new motion to release Dr. Smith into outpatient treatment at his home in the Jackson area. Bell used as his argument a new report issued by psychiatric experts at Tulane University, which concluded that Smith should be treated at home and no longer held in custody at the State Mental Hospital.
The study has not yet been provided to the public, but Bell's motion, which quotes liberally from it, may be seen here: Motion for Outpatient Treatment.
The Tulane "Risk Forensic Evaluation" was commissioned by the State Mental Hospital itself, and according to Bell, was withheld from Smith and his lawyers for over three weeks.
The report recommends that Smith be released to be treated at home under his wife and family's supervision. It would require that he be denied access to money, weapons, the internet, and printed materials unless they had been cleared by a court-appointed monitor. He would be required to wear an electronic tracking bracelet, and would have to continue to receive his anti-psychotic injections.
The report also recommends that Smith be prohibited from any contact with Lee Abraham, AG Jim Hood and his staff, Dr. Sayed Rafique (a former physician partner from over a decade ago), Cordarious Robinson and Derrick Lacy (accused co-conspirators of Smith's), Hirum Eastland Jr., Ed Brunini, Dick Cowart, John Horty, and Chris Lott. Smith would also be prohibited from traveling to Greenwood.
Smith's attorney then argues that since there is a less restrictive method of treating Dr. Smith's psychiatric disorders than committment to Whitfield, the Court is required to allow the less restrictive treatment regime, and should therefore release Dr. Smith from custody.
A hearing on Smith's motion for release and outpatient treatment has been set for October 10 before Judge Owens in Jackson.
As of publication time, no response in opposition to Smith's motion for release has been filed with the Chancery Court. Smith's attorney implies in his motion that the State agrees with his request to discharge Smith and treat him at home. Article and court documents.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Dr. Smith might get out soon.
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18 comments:
Hell no.
Keep his crazy dangerous ass in a padded cell.
If he is fit to go home then he's fit to stand trial for murder
Rich people get their own crazy dorm rooms?
His wife wants him to be declared uncrazy for about 12 seconds so he can sign a new will giving her all kinds of stuff.
Watch the legal chicaneries begin.....
agreed, if he's well enough for outpatient treatment, he's well enough to stand trial. the state ought to concede this, put him back in JAIL, and get ready for trial...
On the subject of weird doctors, why the hell has t the mississippi board of medical licensure done something in the reddix case? Can you investigate? Thx
On the subject of weird doctors, why the hell has t the mississippi board of medical licensure done something in the reddix case? Can you investigate? Thx
12:55 is correct!
Smith needs to stay where he is if he is insane, for lack of any better word. If not he should be confined in the State Hospital on a medical/legal basis. If that basis does nor exist, he should be held in jail on a reasonable bond while awaiting the legal process to be statutorily followed. If Smith is then released on bail, he should be required to follow the Court Ordered bond conditions, until the legal process is complete and until that end has been reached.
BTW, I am not sure but I think one of my above cohorts is druggin and "good for him".
How many other hits does he have to order before the state realizes he needs to be in jail awaiting trial OR institutionalized because he's crazy. Harmless schizophrenics do not need to be kept away from society. Delusional clowns that order hits - they do need to be locked up somewhere.
It is pretty obvious that this man is not guilty or a threat, because earlier I read he was worth 10 Million dollars.
7:21 Hey rube - I hope that was poorly written sarcasm, and you forgot a smiley face emoticon. $10,000,000 would for a lot of contract killings.
I'm not an attorney, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. But since he was determined not competent to stand trial, and he wasn't found "not guilty by reason of insanity", doesn't that mean that now he will be able to stand trial?
Wow, 10 million. Imagine how much more money he'd have if he didn't have to keep replacing all his furniture.
"It is pretty obvious that this man is not guilty or a threat, because earlier I read he was worth 10 Million dollars."
Is that a serious post or am I missing the sarcasm?
None of the links work except for the one at the bottom. Please fix. I want to read about how crazy he is.
8:46, In Jackson the thugs get off for much less. He could buy the DA, the jurors, the judge, the entire police dept, and still have money left.
I think the evaluators at Tulane don't have enough people on their team with common sense.
It will be impossible to keep Dr. Smith from access to those things that could trigger an episode.
Will there be no televisions or cell/land phones or tools or credit cards in a purse or billfold in the house? How do they know Dr. Smith hasn't memorized some of his credit card numbers and can't call information and order on the phone with instructions on where to leave a package? Are they hiring someone who will literally have eyes on him 24/7 and can physically manage him were he to physically put up a fight and who can prevent him from finding ways to access forbidden items?
Why would his family want to live with those restrictions on their lives and does Tulane have a psychiatric evaluation of the family and/or the caretakers that would be hired? Surely, Tulane bothered to find out if the family is willing to take this on and why they'd be willing to do so?
11:54; I hope today you will take your meds.
5:58 am You've pointed out the flaw in the system. If I needed meds, you'd have to rely upon me to take them or upon someone to make sure that I did.
Even with mentally ill patients who are cooperative and who aren't dangerous to themselves and others, it's not as easy to keep the mental illness under control in the home as you apparently believe. And, caring for a person with mental illness can be even more stressful than caring for those with physical illnesses.
In this case, it's clear that the patient is uncooperative with treatment as shots are required.
That there are other requirements listed point to the fact that controlling Dr. Smith's mental illness cannot be accomplished with medication alone. The shots have not" cured" Dr. Smith . Clearly, he can still react to what are called " triggers" even while on forced medication. That's why he can't be allowed access to the Internet, etc.
One of us has been involved in the decision making process on whether or not to release a mentally ill patient back into the community and it's not you.
9 /25, 7:21 pm:
Correct. The justice system is for peasants. The rest have the resources to get away with most things.
The world has always been this way and works better this way.
Be careful not to bite the hand that feeds you.
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