A Mancos man who allegedly ran down several officers during a high speed chase in March, seriously injuring two of them, has been found incompetent to proceed in court procedures against him.
Casey Dee Larsen was charged with 32 criminal charges, including 12 for attempted murder of law enforcement officers, after a 50-mile chase that began up the West Fork of the Dolores River and ended just east of Cortez.
But a court-ordered evaluation of Larsen by a psychologist concluded he is incompetent to proceed, the 22nd Judicial District Court said Thursday.
Larsen, 59, was committed to the Colorado Department of Health Services for restorative services, most likely at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo.
The charges remain against him, and he will be in the custody of Health Services, said District Attorney Will Furse. Larsen has not entered a plea and is being held on a $1 million bond.
The results of the mental health evaluation by Dr. Susan Coykendall, a licensed psychologist under contract with the Colorado Department of Behavioral Health, are sealed. Larsen’s public defender, John Moran, told the court previously that Larsen is a military veteran with a history of mental illness.
Restorative mental health services determine whether competency can be restored so the court proceedings may resume.
“The proceedings in this case are suspended until Larsen is restored to competency,” District Judge Doug Walker said during a court hearing Thursday.
A status hearing is set for Aug. 15.
If competency cannot be restored, Larsen can not be held longer than the sentences associated with the charges against him, which would be a lifelong jail sentence, based on current charges.
“At this point, we will wait the process on whether Larsen’s competency can be restored, and we hope he is taken to the Pueblo Institute in a timely manner,” said Furse.
The charges stem from a wild March 10 chase that began in Dolores County and continued through Dolores and Mancos toward the eastern edge of Cortez. Dolores County deputies attempted to stop Larsen in connection to a reported burglary in the area, but he fled in his silver Chevy van.
Larsen was charged with attempted first-degree and second-degree murder for each of the six law enforcement officers he allegedly threatened with his vehicle during the 50-mile chase. As two Montezuma County deputies put down spike strips on the Colorado Highway 145 bridge in Dolores, Larsen allegedly swerved and forced them to jump off the bridge, causing injury to both officers.
Deputy recruit David Martin, 22, suffered compression fractures in his back and shattered his left ankle. Deputy John Haynes, 45, suffered a fractured tibia in his leg. Nowlin said both deputies have returned to light duty, and are recovering.
A Colorado State Patrol Trooper finally forced Larsen off the road as he approached Cortez, and the van crashed, landing on its side.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com