Case Title: State v. J.S.

Citation: 174 Vt. 619, 817 A.2d 53

Docket Number: 

State: vermont

Court: Vermont Supreme Court

Date: 2002-12-16T00:00:00Z

Document:
State v. J.S. (2002-126); 174 Vt. 619; 817 A.2d 53

[Filed 16-Dec-2002]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2002-126

                             NOVEMBER TERM, 2002

  State of Vermont                    }      APPEALED FROM:
                                      }
                                      }
       v.                             }      District Court of Vermont,
                                      }      Unit No. 2, Addison Circuit
  J.S.                                }
                                      }      DOCKET NO. 703-11-01 Ancr

                                             Trial Judge: Matthew I. Katz

             In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       ¶ 1.  Appellant appeals from an order of the district court
  involuntarily hospitalizing him for ninety days pursuant to 13 V.S.A. §
  4822 after appellant was found not competent to stand trial.  We affirm the
  district court's order. 

       ¶ 2.  Appellant was charged with negligent operation of a vehicle
  and attempting to elude a police officer in violation of 23 V.S.A. §
  1091(a) and § 1133 after allegedly driving his van in an erratic and
  dangerous fashion through downtown Middlebury and then failing to stop
  after a police officer displayed his flashing blue signal lamp and sounded
  his siren.  When arrested, appellant claimed that he was driving to the
  police station to alert police of "phosphorous poisoning" at Middlebury
  High School.  After a competency hearing held pursuant to 13 V.S.A. § 4817,
  the court found appellant incompetent to stand trial.  There followed a
  commitment hearing pursuant to 13 V.S.A. § 4820, where the court found
  appellant suffered from a mental disease, specifically delusional disorder,
  paranoid type, and that appellant's delusions led to a loss of judgment
  and, consequently, his dangerous driving.  The court determined that
  appellant was a person in need of treatment as defined by 18 V.S.A. §
  7101(17) and ordered him committed to the state hospital.  This appeal
  followed.

       ¶ 3.  Appellant asserts three claims on appeal: (1) that the
  district court's conclusion that his driving violations were the result of
  his mental illness was not supported by the evidence; (2) that the court
  improperly determined that appellant was a person in need of treatment
  because there was insufficient proof of present dangerousness as required
  by Vermont's involuntary commitment statutes contained within chapter 171
  of Title 18 and incorporated into the criminal commitment proceedings
  through 13 V.S.A. § 4822; and (3) that the court's findings were deficient
  as a matter of law for failing to consider the availability of an
  appropriate alternative to hospitalization and the least restrictive
  conditions consistent with adequate treatment as required by 18 V.S.A.
  §7617(c) and (e).  We reject these claims. 

         

       ¶ 4.  To involuntarily commit a criminal defendant following a
  determination that the defendant was incompetent to stand trial pursuant to
  13 V.S.A. § 4817,  the trial court must first hold a hearing to determine
  whether hospitalization is necessary.  13 V.S.A. § 4820; State v.
  O'Connell, 136 Vt. 43, 46,