TCU Prof Found Incompetent to Stand Trial
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:47 pmI don't think SMU has any psycho profs on campus right now.
FORT WORTH – A psychology professor accused of threatening to bring a gun to campus was found incompetent to stand trial Tuesday by a judge and will likely be placed temporarily in a mental hospital.
Charles F. Bond, 53, who is on administrative leave from Texas Christian University, could be committed to a hospital for as long as 120 days so he can be treated for unnamed psychiatric problems. No decision has been made about where he'd receive treatment, but he remained in the Tarrant County jail on Tuesday.
Both the prosecution and defense agreed with county criminal court Judge Brent Carr's ruling and waived a hearing on the matter. Prosecutor Mark Thielman said Dr. Bond must receive treatment and be restored to competency before the criminal case can proceed.
"It's really a decision made for fundamental fairness to the defendant," Mr. Thielman said.
The lawyers would not discuss specifics of Dr. Bond's medical condition, citing the judge's order to seal the professor's psychiatric report.
Dr. Bond's wife, who attended the hearing, declined to comment. The Tarrant County Sheriff's Department declined to make Mr. Bond available for interviews on the advice of medical personnel who evaluated him.
Patrick McLain, one of Dr. Bond's attorneys, said his client was lucid and grateful to be receiving psychiatric help. However, he's not ready to handle criminal hearings or a trial.
"He's certainly not able to assist with his defense," Mr. McLain said.
Dr. Bond has been at TCU since 1986. According to a bio on the university Web site that he appears to have written, "my work on international deception has been of interest to the CIA, the FBI, the National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Congress."
Dr. Bond remained in a holding cell behind the judge's bench and did not appear in the courtroom Tuesday.
He was arrested last week after police said he sent or made a series of threatening e-mails and statements to university staff. Dr. Bond told two TCU officials he would bring a gun to the campus and spit in the face of a fellow professor, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Another e-mail asked: "Is it possible a sexist could snap and bring an ouzi (sic) on the TCU campus? Might he target young women? Might others get in the way?" Dr. Bond ended the e-mail with a statement that "Yours truly owns no guns," according to the affidavit.
Those police documents also said that Dr. Bond's wife didn't believe she was in danger, but that her husband needed "professional help."
Mr. McLain said he's looked over the affidavit and doesn't see any evidence that a criminal act was committed.
Mr. Thielman said his office is continuing to investigate Dr. Bond's case and would probably submit the felony case to the Tarrant County grand jury. It's not clear whether the professor had a gun or intended to shoot anyone, but the alleged threat has brought up memories of the Virginia Tech University student who killed 32 fellow students and teachers on April 16.
"We're doing something here to prevent that kind of tragedy," Mr. Thielman said.
FORT WORTH – A psychology professor accused of threatening to bring a gun to campus was found incompetent to stand trial Tuesday by a judge and will likely be placed temporarily in a mental hospital.
Charles F. Bond, 53, who is on administrative leave from Texas Christian University, could be committed to a hospital for as long as 120 days so he can be treated for unnamed psychiatric problems. No decision has been made about where he'd receive treatment, but he remained in the Tarrant County jail on Tuesday.
Both the prosecution and defense agreed with county criminal court Judge Brent Carr's ruling and waived a hearing on the matter. Prosecutor Mark Thielman said Dr. Bond must receive treatment and be restored to competency before the criminal case can proceed.
"It's really a decision made for fundamental fairness to the defendant," Mr. Thielman said.
The lawyers would not discuss specifics of Dr. Bond's medical condition, citing the judge's order to seal the professor's psychiatric report.
Dr. Bond's wife, who attended the hearing, declined to comment. The Tarrant County Sheriff's Department declined to make Mr. Bond available for interviews on the advice of medical personnel who evaluated him.
Patrick McLain, one of Dr. Bond's attorneys, said his client was lucid and grateful to be receiving psychiatric help. However, he's not ready to handle criminal hearings or a trial.
"He's certainly not able to assist with his defense," Mr. McLain said.
Dr. Bond has been at TCU since 1986. According to a bio on the university Web site that he appears to have written, "my work on international deception has been of interest to the CIA, the FBI, the National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Congress."
Dr. Bond remained in a holding cell behind the judge's bench and did not appear in the courtroom Tuesday.
He was arrested last week after police said he sent or made a series of threatening e-mails and statements to university staff. Dr. Bond told two TCU officials he would bring a gun to the campus and spit in the face of a fellow professor, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Another e-mail asked: "Is it possible a sexist could snap and bring an ouzi (sic) on the TCU campus? Might he target young women? Might others get in the way?" Dr. Bond ended the e-mail with a statement that "Yours truly owns no guns," according to the affidavit.
Those police documents also said that Dr. Bond's wife didn't believe she was in danger, but that her husband needed "professional help."
Mr. McLain said he's looked over the affidavit and doesn't see any evidence that a criminal act was committed.
Mr. Thielman said his office is continuing to investigate Dr. Bond's case and would probably submit the felony case to the Tarrant County grand jury. It's not clear whether the professor had a gun or intended to shoot anyone, but the alleged threat has brought up memories of the Virginia Tech University student who killed 32 fellow students and teachers on April 16.
"We're doing something here to prevent that kind of tragedy," Mr. Thielman said.
Fair enough.