PORT ANGELES — A prison inmate who allegedly tried to kill a Clallam Bay Correction Center deputy in 2016 will be forced to take anti-psychotic medication to restore his competency to stand trial.
Abdinjib Ibraham, 31, was ordered Wednesday to take up to 40 milligrams of Zyprexa, which is used to treat psychotic conditions like schizophrenia.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden signed Wednesday an order for the involuntary administration of anti-psychotic medication after a 2½-hour court hearing in Ibraham’s case.
The ruling was based on the testimony of state psychiatrist Daniel Ruiz Paredes, who has treated Ibraham at Western State Hospital.
Ibraham meets the criteria for schizophrenia spectrum disorder and was deemed not competent to stand trial in an Oct. 3 forensic mental health report.
Ibraham is charged in Clallam County Superior Court with second-degree attempted murder for an attack on former corrections Deputy Terry Breedlove on the morning of Jan. 25, 2016.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said Ibraham used a metal stool to repeatedly strike Breedlove on the back of the head until he was unconscious in a pool of blood.
Breedlove, who was 51 at the time of the attack, sustained a traumatic brain injury, 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, who is now an inmate at Washington Corrections Center near Shelton, had his competency restored during a previous stay at Western State Hospital.
He was deemed competent to stand trial Feb. 27 but his mental health deteriorated when he returned to prison and stopped taking Zyprexa, court papers said.
“When he was treated with Zyprexa, his improvement was remarkable,” said Ruiz Paredes, the medical director of Western State’s Center for Forensic Services.
“Most of his symptoms of mania, his psychosis, being explosive, angry and irritable improved significantly in a relatively short period of time.
“Also, he had no side effects that were reported at the time that would interfere with his ability to be competent,” Ruiz Paredes added.
“So he has been successfully restored in the past on this medication.”
Assistant Attorney General Sean Waite, who is prosecuting the case against Ibraham, argued for the involuntary administration of anti-psychotic medication in a Sell hearing.
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.
Based on testimony from Ruiz Paredes and arguments from the Sell hearing, Basden found that:
• An important government interest was at stake in requiring Ibraham to be forcibly medicated.
“There’s a serious crime that’s been charged,” Basden said.
“The state has an interest in being able to pursue a prosecution of that alleged offense.”
• Involuntary medication would significantly further the state’s interests.
“There is evidence that Zyprexa has been effective, and it is quickly effective,” Basden said.
“The turnaround was described as remarkable, and it comes without evidence of side effects.”
• Medication was necessary to further state’s interest.
• The administration of anti-psychotic drugs was medically appropriate.
Ibraham will be offered the oral administration of anti-psychotic medications.
Basden’s order permits the involuntary administration of Zyprexa and other drugs through injections to the shoulder or buttocks.
Defense attorney Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender identified gaps in the documentation of Ibraham’s medication regimen from his previous restoration period.
“The question is going to be about the efficacy, or anticipated efficacy, of that regimen,” Gasnick said.
“It’s the defense position that there’s not been an adequate factual underpinning for the request.”
Basden agreed that the documentation of Ibraham’s medication regimen was incomplete.
“One the of the challenges is there are a periods of time where the record is perhaps a bit muddled,” Basden said.
“I have concerns about the state referring to medical care providers and they’ve operated without an order, and I think that’s compromised what’s been done here.
“On the other hand, I’m not convinced that by signing an order I take away that problem,” Basden added.
“But at least what I would take away is the state’s ability to say that the treatment was compromised because they didn’t have the authority to follow a treatment regimen that could restore and maintain competency.”
Basden scheduled a review hearing for Dec. 13. Ibraham’s competency will be reviewed Jan. 24.
Ibraham sat quietly during the court hearing under the supervision of four state Department of Corrections officers.
He was convicted in King County on four counts of vehicular assault for fleeing from Seattle police and striking a vehicle occupied by a family, Assistant Attorney General John Hillman said. He also has convictions for robbery and assault, Hillman said.
Ibraham is scheduled to be released from prison in 2021.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
