Teen ruled mentally competent to stand trial

A former Ferris High School student charged with attempting to murder one of his teachers is mentally competent to stand trial, a Juvenile Court commissioner ruled Thursday.

Commissioner Steve Grovdahl accepted the finding of Spokane psychologist Mark Mays that 15-year-old Jacob D. Carr understands the charges against him and is able to assist in his defense – the legal test for competency. Grovdahl didn’t deal with the question of whether Carr was legally sane at the time of the alleged crime, or whether he is sufficiently mature to be tried in adult court.

While showing Carr is competent for trial, Mays’ evaluation gives defense attorney Ronnie Rae ammunition to fight a transfer to adult court.

Mays said in a written report that Carr has “a significant problem with depression” and is “socially awkward,” but is not a “typical juvenile delinquent.”

“This is the psychological profile of a young man who is far more sick than sinister,” Mays wrote. “… It is quite clear that this is a young man who lacks maturity and psychological sophistication and is, in many ways, emotionally even younger than his chronological age.”

Carr was 14 at the time of his alleged crimes.

Grovdahl scheduled another hearing Monday in which Carr either is to be arraigned or advised that Deputy Prosecutor Bill Reeves will try to have him transferred to adult court. Reeves said he and his supervisors hadn’t decided Thursday whether to ask a judge to move Carr’s case to adult court.

In either court, the charges would be the same: attempted first-degree murder, theft of a firearm and second-degree illegal possession of a firearm. But there is an enormous difference in potential punishment.

Even with an above-standard sentence, the most Carr could get in juvenile court is confinement in a state juvenile institution until he is 21. A standard sentence, if he were convicted as charged, would range from 161/2 to 183/4 months of confinement and up to 300 hours of community service.

In adult court, if convicted as charged with attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm, Carr would face a standard sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison.

Police say Carr went to Ferris High School on March 24 and got within six feet of English teacher Michelle Klein-Coles, whom he intended to kill with a .32-caliber semiautomatic pistol. At the time, he had already pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Klein-Coles because he thought she unfairly told him to be quiet in an English class.

A police affidavit, based on statements Carr allegedly gave to detectives, says Klein-Coles was working at a computer in a room with other adults when Carr, apparently unnoticed, approached with the intention of killing her and then himself. He allegedly hesitated for fear the other adults would prevent him from killing himself and he would go to prison.

According to police, Carr waited more than hour outside the room for an opportunity to get Klein-Coles alone. He said he thought about going ahead and killing her despite the adults, but Klein-Coles left the building while he was getting a drink of water, according to police.