252nd District Court: judge finds defendant incompetent, accepts pleas and hands sentences; multiple trials set

The judge presiding in the 252nd District Court issued a series of rulings Tuesday that included a competency finding and inpatient restoration order for one defendant, acceptance of guilty pleas and sentences in several cases, deferred disposition and probation in others, and multiple resets and trial settings.

The judge found Sally Pope not competent to stand trial and ordered inpatient competency restoration. "I am going to find Miss Pope not competent to stand trial, find that she is mentally ill and needs inpatient intervention for competency restoration, and we will transport Miss Pope to the appropriate facility for a period of not to exceed 120 days," the judge said.

The ruling on Pope followed the court's review of an evaluation by Dr. Praphan, which the judge said the court took judicial notice of. The judge recorded that there was no other evidence presented regarding competency from either the state or defense.

Several defendants entered pleas and received sentences. In cause number 24DCCR2143, the court accepted a guilty plea from a defendant identified as Mr. Eaton to an attempted state-jail felony count of obstruction/retaliation and sentenced him under an agreed package to 12 months in the county jail, citing section 12.44 of the Penal Code. The judge advised…