SKOWHEGAN — A Cornville man who terrorized and threatened area residents off and on for more than five years was deemed incompetent to stand trial Thursday and was sent to the Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta for treatment.
James L. Mayo, 44, most recently of East Ridge Road, was remanded to the custody of the commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services in an agreement with county prosecutors and his court appointed lawyer, Philip Mohlar of Skowhegan.
The ruling by District Court Judge Andrew Benson came following a psychological evaluation by the State Forensics Services on Oct. 29 and discussions with the mental health worker at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, where Mayo has been since early October.
The ruling means that Mayo lacks the necessary skills to defend himself in a court of law and will remain at the psychiatric center until he is deemed fit to face criminal charges, Mohlar said.
Mohlar told the judge that Mayo was not in court Wednesday because of his “inability to comport himself” in a public session.
“The judge has ordered him to go to Riverview for as long as it takes to get him competent,” Mohlar said later in the day Wednesday. “He’ll be on the forensic side of things down there, so basically he’s locked up in the secure side of the facility.”
Mayo’s most recent brush with law enforcement came the weekend of Oct. 3-4 when he was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill a family of three in Skowhegan and to shoot police if they were called. He was arrested a second time that weekend for breaking bail conditions by drinking alcohol, police said.
He was also arrested on charges of criminal threatening and terrorizing after police were sent to a disturbance on East Ridge Road.
Mayo was arrested on similar terrorizing charges in 2013 after threatening people at the Cornville Regional Charter School. He was arrested after that incident on charges of terrorizing, criminal threatening, criminal mischief, refusing to submit to arrest or detention on two counts and violation of probation.
In January 2013, he was convicted of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon in Cornville and terrorizing in Skowhegan.
In 2011, he was convicted of terrorizing in February and again in September in Skowhegan, two counts of criminal mischief in May in Madison and harassment by telephone in May in Fairfield.
He also was convicted of assault, disorderly conduct and violating a condition of release in 2006 in Madison.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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