CLEVELAND (WJW) – A FOX 8 I-Team camera rolled for hours of new arguments over the mental health of an accused cop killer and his treatment in a psychiatric hospital.
Arguments went on for several hours Friday in Cuyahoga County court, and it could affect justice for the murder of Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter.
This comes with new urgency to find out what’s going on with the mental health treatment for Delawnte Hardy.
Hardy is being held in the Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare facility in Columbus after being ruled mentally incompetent for trial.
He’s charged with killing his grandmother and Officer Ritter. That happened as police tried to arrest Hardy.
Friday, Cuyahoga County prosecutors pressed doctors with hard questions. Prosecutors said for months that Hardy got away with refusing to take medicine in the hospital.
Now, prosecutors face a deadline just weeks away to get Hardy restored to competency.
They demanded to know what’s happening at that hospital.
“When’s the last time Delawnte Hardy had medicine?” assistant county prosecutor Kevin Filiatraut asked.
He reminded the court what doctors should be doing.
Hospital officials said Hardy is still having delusions even while taking medicine.
At the hearing, a big crowd of police officers sat with the parents of Ritter.
“I’m extremely frustrated. It’s discouraging to come here for a five-hour hearing and have arguments. What has been happening?” Karen Ritter said.
“There’s something going on at this facility,” Jon Ritter said. “We don’t understand what the issue is, but somebody needs to look at the facility and find out what is going on.”
Prosecutors and investigators wonder if the court should allow more time for treatment since Hardy had refused to take his medicine.
In an earlier case, Hardy had been ruled incompetent, and those charges ended up being dropped.
Meanwhile, more questions keep coming up about what the I-Team discovered. Records show, the court revealed earlier, Hardy was suspected of taking drugs that somehow had gotten into that mental health hospital, a state facility. But, we found the agency running the hospital never reported that to the Ohio State Highway Patrol to investigate.
That state agency running the hospital has said it never found “contraband,” so it didn’t call in law enforcement. But again, the hospital’s first report sent to the judge outlined what was happening with drugs there.
Friday, Judge Ashley Kilbane did not make any rulings.
If Hardy is not fit for trial before a deadline next month, the court could change that deadline. Prosecutors also believe they have other options in the case, but now, a watch for justice with new urgency.
“I was a police officer for 25 years. I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life,” Jon Ritter said.
Another hearing could happen as early as next week.
Ed Gallek
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