PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Townsend High School teacher charged with threatening the school’s principal and coming into a classroom from which he had been banned will be treated in a mental health facility before more court action takes place.

James Keith Miller, 52, appeared in Jefferson County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon to discuss a competency evaluation that had not yet been available at an April 8 court hearing.

The order, signed by Judge Keith Harper, said Miller could not assist in his own defense as a result of mental illness.

Lockdown facility

Harper ordered Miller to be transported to Cascade Behavioral Hospital in Tukwila, a lockdown facility.

Miller’s trial, once scheduled for May 16-17, has been put on hold.

His next court hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 20.

“Ideally, he’ll be under the proper medical regimen and be restored to competence,” said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Julian St. Marie.

“From there, we can go on to thinking about actually resolving the charges.”

Questioned dosage

At the April 8 hearing, Miller said an improper medical dosage had been a contributing factor to his actions and that his current prescription was more than 2 years old.

Miller, who is now on paid administrative leave, is accused of threatening to kill high school Principal Carrie Ehrhardt during a March 18 breakfast meeting at the Bayview Restaurant.

According to Ehrhardt’s written statement, Miller said she was “the [expletive] reason that I am not able to see my children and I’m going to [expletive] kill you.”

Hours after the meeting, Miller drove to the high school campus — from which he had been banned — entered his former classroom where students were present and was taken into custody by police.

Miller had remained in the Jefferson County jail since his arrest on charges of one count each of burglary in the second degree and harassment-threats to kill.

Miller’s competency evaluation occurred April 7 at the jail and was conducted by representatives of Western State Hospital in Tacoma.

It concluded that Miller has the capacity for both a factual and rational understanding of the charges against him but lacks the capacity to assist in his own defense due to a mental disorder.

In their report, the evaluators said he should be seen by a designated mental health professional.

During the evaluation, Miller said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 20 and was subsequently hospitalized and placed on three medications that he said didn’t work very well.

He began experiencing breakthrough manic symptoms in December, at which time he stopped taking his medication.

On Feb. 2, he was transported to Jefferson Mental Health Services for a voluntary mental health evaluation, after which the school district placed him on administrative leave.

Possible irrelevant responses

The evaluators said that if Miller were tried in his current state, he would likely provide irrelevant responses while talking to his attorney or testifying and may “overestimate his chances of prevailing and increase his irritability if his attorney doesn’t meet his (possibly unrealistic) expectations.”

At the April 8 hearing, Miller questioned St. Marie’s competence for failing to schedule the evaluation enough in advance for that court hearing.

St. Marie later said the evaluation was scheduled on the soonest date possible.

On Thursday, St. Marie said it was unclear whether Miller’s treatment would be finished by the May 20 hearing.

“We’re hoping that competency will be restored quickly,” she said,

“It can be accomplished [in] as quickly as one week, but sometimes it takes a repeated effort.”

________

Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.