‘Significant delusional beliefs’: Alleged Boise Greenbelt killer not competent for trial
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Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman
BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Despite pushback from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, Magistrate Judge Theodore Tollefson has decided that the man accused of killing a 25-year-old on the Boise River Greenbelt isn’t competent to proceed to trial.
The decision came Tuesday after a 40-minute hearing, during which Ada County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Bleazard contested the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s findings that 41-year-old Ross Wardlaw was “dangerously mentally ill.”
Tollefson, of Idaho’s 4th Judicial District, listened to the prosecutor question the psychologist who evaluated Wardlaw, and then committed Wardlaw to the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction in an attempt to restore his mental competency.
Because Health and Welfare designated him as “dangerously mentally ill,” Wardlaw will be sent to the state’s maximum-security prison instead of a hospital or clinic. That’s because under state law, someone with a severe mental illness and a history of violence can be sent to a more secure facility for psychiatric care.
Wardlaw will be committed for up to 90 days, and if he isn’t found competent within that time frame, the treatment could be extended.
Chad Sombke, a licensed psychologist with a Ph.D. who conducted the evaluations, indicated in his report that although Wardlaw possessed the capacity to understand the proceedings against him, he could not properly assist in his defense “with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.”
Reading off of Sombke’s report, Tollefson said Wardlaw wasn’t able to discuss “logical and rational defense strategies” with his attorney.
“Mr. Wardlaw appears to have significant delusional beliefs about his case, and those delusions are directly interfering with his competency to proceed in this court case,” the report indicated.
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Wardlaw’s criminal history spans more than two decades, with many of the more recent charges related to some type of violent incident, according to court records reviewed by the Idaho Statesman. He’s now facing a first-degree murder charge, and if convicted, could spend the rest of his life in prison or even face the death penalty.
Wardlaw stands accused of stepping into Jordan Harbst’s path on the Greenbelt, knocking Harbst off his scooter and stabbing him to death in the early morning hours of July 6, according to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office.
Wardlaw’s next hearing, at which the process of his commitment will be reviewed, is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 10 a.m.