Man found not guilty by reason of insanity in hatchet attack to stay in mental hospital
NEW PHILADELPHIA — A 34-year-old man found not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with a 2020 hatchet attack on two New Philadelphia police officers will remain in a maximum security psychiatric hospital for the present.
Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos decided Monday to keep Gregory O. Emanuel, Jr. in the state hospital based on an evaluation conducted by a forensic psychologist.
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The psychologist, Lisa Foulk, testified in court by video link from Columbus on Monday.
Under questioning from assistant county prosecutor Fred Scott, she testified that Emanuel continues to have symptoms of the bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder.
She said he was in at least six fights in his first six months at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare's Timothy B. Moritz Forensic Center in Columbus.
Foulk said Emanuel has auditory and visual hallucinations, impulsivity, paranoia, delusions of grandeur, and delusional thoughts, including a belief that others can read his mind. She said Emanuel had more violent incidents early in his stay and fewer more recently. She said Emanuel's symptoms have improved since he has been medicated. She said he is sometimes able to use appropriate coping strategies.
Her nine-page report on Emanuel was admitted into court as an exhibit.
Thomakos said Emanuel is entitled to periodic review of his placement. She said she expectes to schedule another hearing in July 2023. Defense attorney Nicole Stephan said his commitment should be reviewed two years after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
On June 22, 2021, Thomakos found Emanuel not guilty by reason of insanity of two counts of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault for attacking New Philadelphia police Capt. Ty Norris and Sgt. David Morris on Aug. 19, 2020.
The incident occurred at Atwood Terrace Apartments in the 500 block of N. Broadway. Officers went to the complex because Emanuel's mother said Gregory had locked her out of her apartment.
The situation became violent after officers pushed the door open and found Emanuel standing in the apartment with a hatchet. He exited the door with the hatchet and attacked the officers. Norris shot Emanuel, who suffered multiple internal injuries.
He may stay in the locked hospital as long as he would have been in prison if he had received the maximum sentence for his actions. Attempted murder carries a potential sentence of 11 to 16.5 years.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: New Philadelphia man who attacked police with hatchet kept in hospital
