OGDEN -- A 20-year-old's continuing odd behavior has mental health examiners finding him incompetent to stand trial on charges of possession of marijuana and attempting to bribe a police officer.
Bryant Wright was arrested by Riverdale police April 14 after he was caught smoking a joint behind a restaurant. As he was being driven to jail, he offered a $1,000 bribe to the transporting officer, according to the allegations.
When the officer said no, he upped the offer to $1,200 in an incident police say was recorded in audio and video by an in-car camera that monitors the backseats of Riverdale patrol cars.
Attempted bribery is a second-degree felony while the drug offense is a class B misdemeanor.
After excited utterances such as "Beam me up, Scotty" in open court, 2nd District Judge W. Brent West on April 27 ordered Wright to undergo psychiatric examinations to determine his competency to stand trial.
Two mental health professionals from Weber Human Services were assigned to evaluate Wright to determine if he understood the proceedings against him and could assist in his own defense.
"No" was the answer to both questions, evaluators told West on Wednesday. The judge then assigned the counselors to make an evaluation as to what course would be best for Wright among choices that include commitment to the state mental hospital or therapy based in a group home.
The Utah State Hospital in Provo would be a lock-down situation until Wright was found to have been restored to competency. A Sept. 28 status conference was scheduled to air Wright's options.
During his ongoing stay at Weber County Jail, unable to raise bail, Wright was transferred to the psychiatric ward at McKay-Dee Hospital on May 9 by jail personnel, according to court records which did not detail the reason for that commitment. Such commitments are typically for 72 hours, usually for clinical observation.
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