Man who spent day in downtown Seattle tree sent to psychiatric hospital

SEATTLE – A man who spent 25 hours high atop a sequoia tree in downtown Seattle in March has been found incompetent to stand trial on a malicious mischief charge.

Cody Lee Miller has been held on $50,000 bail since he climbed the tree March 22 and ignored police efforts to coax him down, throwing branches and apples at responders, before climbing down.

KOMO-TV reported Miller will be sent to the state’s largest psychiatric hospital for a 45-day evaluation with another competency hearing set for July 11.

The drama sparked intense interest on social media, with new Twitter accounts and the hashtag #ManInTree trending.

Miller’s mother, Lisa Gossett, of Wasilla, Alaska, said previously the family has tried to get him help for mental illness but was told there was nothing anyone could do unless he posed a danger to himself or others.