SANDPOINT, Idaho — An arson suspect was deemed incapable of assisting with her defense and ordered into treatment.
In the Aug. 21 court hearing, Judge Debra Heise found Jennifer Suzanne Meyer was "significantly impaired," lacking the ability to assist with her defense or understand the proceedings. However, a mental health evaluation found Meyer, 50, was not dangerously mentally ill.
The determination means Meyer will be placed in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to undergo treatment for up to 90 days. At the end of that period, Meyer will be re-evaluated and a determination made as to whether she is fit to stand trail on the first-degree arson charge. If not, the progress report is expected to determine whether there is a "substantial probability the Defendant will be fit to proceed within the foreseeable future."
Meyer, 50, was charged in mid-July with setting a July 4 fire which destroyed the Army Surplus building in Sandpoint. The Bonner County resident was charged after police said multiple surveillance videos from businesses near the Army Surplus building showed the woman in the vicinity and acting suspiciously.
The request was based on public defender Catherine E. Enright's interaction with Meyer, calls from acquaintances concerned about the defendant's mental health and her behavior at a July 17 initial appearance hearing, according to court records.
At that hearing, originally set for a video arraignment at the Bonner County Jail, Meyer refused to appear on camera, forcing deputies to bring her to the courthouse for the hearing.
"I can't do this right now," she could be heard telling a bailiff at the jail as he directed her to sit in the chair and face the camera. "I can't do video responses. No, I can't do it. I'm sorry."
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