Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part one, with part two set to appear online Monday at lmtribune.com.
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McCALL — The man suspected of shooting and killing Rory and Sara Mehen must pass a mental evaluation before court proceedings can continue, Adams County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Boyd said.
John Hart, 28, of Olympia, Wash., has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the shootings of the Mehens at the Hartland Inn in New Meadows on Oct. 1.
Hart is currently awaiting a preliminary hearing before Adams County Magistrate Judge John Meienhofer, but first must be proven competent to stand trial by a psychiatrist, Boyd said.
For Hart to be found competent, the psychiatrist must determine that he is able to “understand the proceedings against him,” under Idaho law.
Boyd declined to specify a timeline for the evaluation, citing rules of professional conduct for lawyers.
Meienhofer also has sealed all hearings and records related to Hart’s mental health from public inspection.
“It is not uncommon for the judge to seal hearings on competence and mental evaluation,” Boyd said.
Boyd told Meienhofer during an Oct. 4 hearing at the Adams County Courthouse in Council that he plans to seek the death penalty for Hart if he is convicted on the charges.
If deemed incompetent by the psychiatrist, Hart would be ordered to undergo treatment at a state psychiatric hospital to restore his ability to stand trial, Boyd said.
“That process can take months or more,” he said.
If Hart’s competency cannot be restored through treatment, he could be committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital or a hospital unit in a state prison, Boyd said.
Hart was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail in Council as of Tuesday, said Casual Merritt, a spokesperson for Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
Online court records show several sealed hearings have been held since Hart’s Oct. 4 arraignment hearing, his most recent public court appearance.
Hart is being represented by Boise attorneys Rob Chastain and Jolene Maloney, as well as Payette attorney Elisa Massoth. All were appointed by Meienhofer to represent Hart.
Chastain declined to comment to The Star-News, and Maloney and Massoth did not respond to requests for comment.
Hart was previously deemed competent to stand trial for two felony assault charges pending against him in Clark County, Washington, in connection with an incident on Aug. 9, 2021.
In that case, Hart is accused of strangling a man until he was unconscious, attempting to gouge his eyes out and punching him in the face, according to an arrest warrant tied to the incident.
Psychologist Kenneth Dudley evaluated Hart in September 2021 and determined he understood the charges against him and was able to assist in his own legal defense.
“He was aware of his charge and understood its felony status and potential consequences were he to be found guilty,” Dudley wrote in his evaluation report obtained by The Star-News.
The evaluation included interviews with Hart and a review of Hart’s medical records. Those records revealed Hart was diagnosed with schizophrenia while with the U.S. Army.
Dudley’s report said Hart could become incompetent to stand trial if he stopped taking schizophrenia medications prescribed to him.
Hart told Dudley that he began hearing voices in his head after his wife died in a car accident in 2015 while he was still in the Army.
Hart also told Dudley that he was sexually assaulted while in the Army, where he served from 2012 to 2017 before being honorably discharged as a corporal in the Army Rangers.
However, Hart’s defense attorneys sought a second opinion on Dudley’s competency determination. Prosecutors agreed on March 17 that Hart needed treatment to restore his competency.
Hart was then held in the Clark County Jail in Vancouver, Washington, while awaiting a bed for a 90-day treatment at Western State Hospital, an 806-bed psychiatric hospital near Seattle.
On July 22, he was released from jail by Clark County Superior Court Judge Robert Lewis after multiple delays in admitting him to the psychiatric hospital for treatment.
The conditions of Hart’s release said he could not leave southwest Washington or possess guns.
Hart remained on an 800-person waiting list for a bed at the psychiatric hospital, but became a lower priority than more than 500 patients awaiting a bed that were being held in jail, under hospital policy.
A bed had not opened for Hart by Oct. 1, when he was arrested in his car along U.S. 95 near Cambridge shortly after the shootings.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies found a 9 mm Glock handgun in weeds along U.S. 95 near Indian Valley that is suspected to be the same gun used in the Mehen shootings.
— Drew Dodson, The Star-News (McCall), Thursday
Ordinance passed: Trailer parking three days only
GRANGEVILLE — Get ready to move that trailer.
Following months of discussion, public meetings and input, the Grangeville City Council last week passed an ordinance limiting on-street parking of trailers, recreational vehicles and motor homes. Except where allowed by permit, no person shall store a nonmotorized towed trailer, recreational vehicle, boat or motor home on any city street, alley, roadway or right-of-way. Definition of “store” is parking of such items for three consecutive days from 2 to 4 a.m.
At the Oct. 17 meeting, city administrator Tonya Kennedy explained to the council that, following prior meeting discussions, concerns for recreationists and visitors were taken into account with this latest ordinance.
“The main point here is we don’t want trailers stored on the street,” she said, and the three consecutive day period in the code takes into account those passing through hauling trailers, such as with snowmobiles, and parking to stop at a business, as well as those with RVs who are visiting friends in town.
A permit is in place that allows for nonresidents to park a trailer or RV on city streets for up to 14 days, twice a year. Kennedy noted this addresses situations, such as during Border Days, when available lodging is limited and allows visitors an option for extended stays. A permit is also available for on-street parking of utility trailers for those engaged in ongoing construction projects. No permit is required to park an RV on private property for short-term occupancy, which is allowed for up to 14 consecutive days, but no more than 28 days a year.
— David Rauzi, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
