PORT ANGELES — A former Clallam Bay Correction Center inmate who allegedly tried to kill a corrections officer by striking him with a metal stool in 2016 is competent to stand trial, a judge has ruled.
Abdinjib Ali Ibraham has another court hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. today on a motion to continue involuntary administration of anti-psychotic medication to maintain his competency.
A trial date is expected to be set today.
Ibraham, who suffers from schizophrenia, is charged with second-degree attempted murder for an attack on former corrections Deputy Terry Breedlove on Jan. 25, 2016.
“The state has gone to extraordinary effort and expense to help Mr. Ibraham be able to meaningfully participate in his defense to these charges,” Superior Court Judge Brent Basden said in a Friday court hearing.
Ibraham, 32, was previously ordered to take up to 40 milligrams of Zyprexa, which is used to treat psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia.
A forensic mental health report filed Friday found that Ibraham had the capacity to understand the charge against him and the ability to assist in his defense.
Ibraham was deemed competent to stand trial last February, but his mental health deteriorated when he returned to prison and stopped taking Zyprexa, court papers said.
“My experience in this case, and my reading of the report issued for today, gives the court pause as to what would happen if medication didn’t continue, and specifically whether any progress that’s been made would evaporate,” Basden said.
“So without predetermining that issue, I believe that it’s necessary for the court to immediately address it.”
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said Ibraham was unprovoked when he used a metal stool from his cell to repeatedly strike Breedlove on the back of the head until the 51-year-old lawman was unconscious in a pool of blood.
Breedlove sustained a traumatic brain injury in the attack, court papers said.
Medical intervention was necessary to prevent death or further brain damage, Sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Anderson wrote in the affidavit for probable cause.
Ibraham is serving an unrelated sentence at Washington Corrections Center near Shelton. He is scheduled to be released in June 2022.
Assistant state Attorney General John Hillman, who is prosecuting the attempted murder case, said Ibraham was twice ordered to undergo 90 days of competency restoration at the state psychiatric hospital last year.
Hillman and defense attorney Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender agreed that Ibraham’s competency had been restored.
Gasnick said Ibraham is facing a “third strike” under the three strikes law, meaning his client could face a life sentence if convicted.
“There are a multitude of subtle issues relative to potential non-trial resolutions of this case,” Gasnick said in court Friday.
“There are well over, if I recall correctly, 1,300 pages of discovery and a stack of approximately an inch to an inch-and-half of digital discovery on various discs.”
Basden said he would set a trial date after today’s Sell hearing.
“The reason that I’m not setting a trail date today is because I’d like to set one that is meaningful,” Basden said.
In Sell v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court set limitations on lower courts to order the forcible administration of anti-psychotic medication to incompetent defendants.
The Friday hearing was protracted because a Somali language interpreter was used to translate for Ibraham.
Ibraham, who was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States at age 10, said he understood English.
“I went to school here, so I speak good English,” Ibraham said.
A state psychologist recommended that an interpreter be used, Hillman said.
“For today, out of an abundance of caution, I’m going to allow the interpreter to interpret these proceedings,” Basden said.
“The issue of interpreting for future hearings will be subject to further motions.”
Ibraham was convicted in King County on four counts of vehicular assault for striking a vehicle occupied by a family while fleeing from Seattle police, Hillman has said.
He also has convictions for robbery and assault.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
