Judge Halts Criminal Proceedings Against Garrido
PLACERVILLE / El Dorado County (AP) - A judge suspended criminal proceedings Friday against the man accused of kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard 19 years ago over concerns about his mental state.
El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister made the decision after a short pretrial hearing for Phillip Garrido.
Phimister said he had concerns about Garrido's mental competency to stand trial on 29 counts of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment in the 1991 disappearance of Dugard.
The judge said he based his decision on talks with Garrido's attorney and observing the defendant in court over the past few months. Psychological reports on his mental competency were pending.
The judge did not halt proceedings against Garrido's wife, Nancy, who faces similar counts.
The couple are accused of holding the girl captive in a backyard jumble of tents and sheds for nearly two decades until they were arrested in August 2009.
Authorities said Dugard, who is now 30, bore two daughters to Garrido while being held near Antioch.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
