Murder suspect getting mental health evaluation
Experts have found a Polson man accused of murdering his father in August 2008 fit to stand trial, but further evaluation of his mental health must be conducted before the case is brought in front of a jury.
Ross Elliot Johnson, 21, understands the charges against him and can assist in his own defense, but other mental-health issues may exist, defense attorney Glen M. Neier said.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors each are expected to request an additional psychological evaluation of Johnson to determine his mental state at the time of the killing - whether he has a mental defect or disease and whether he acted purposely and knowingly.
The conclusions reached in those evaluations will go far in determining whether Johnson will stand trial, according to Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan.
Acquaintances of the Johnson family have said Ross Johnson suffered a head injury about a year before the killing in a BMX bicycle crash.
Johnson, who is charged with one count of deliberate homicide, allegedly shot his father in the head with a shotgun.
His trial is slated to begin in late October, but most likely will be postponed, Corrigan said.
A bond reduction hearing scheduled Thursday in Flathead County District Court was canceled after medical professionals determined that remaining in Warm Springs was in Johnson's best interest. His mother had sought to have him released to her, Corrigan said.
Johnson has been incarcerated at the state hospital in Warm Springs since October 2008.
He was arrested Sept. 1, 2008, after a two-day standoff at his family's home outside Polson. Investigators allege Johnson fled there after shooting his father, 47-year-old Roger Johnson, on Aug. 30, 2008, in the woods about 45 miles west of Kalispell.
Jurisdiction over the case was transferred from Sanders County to Flathead County after GPS mapping revealed the alleged crime scene was inside Flathead County.
People dirt-biking near Rock Creek Road came across Roger Johnson's body and notified authorities. He had been hit once in the head with a shotgun blast.
The father and son reportedly had left the rest of the family, who were camping at a cabin near the U.S. Forest Service's Bend Guard Station, to go gopher hunting.
Investigators tracked Ross Johnson to the family's home on Meadow Vista Way in Polson, where an armed standoff ensued. After negotiations - which sometimes took place as often as every 15 minutes - failed, officers lobbed more than 40 canisters of tear gas into the home.
Johnson refused to come out until officers gave him a series of commands via the Missoula County SWAT team's remote-controlled robot. Officers then moved into the home and used a Taser to subdue Johnson, more than 48 hours after the standoff began.
No gunshots were fired, and no one was injured during the siege, authorities said.
Ross Johnson had threatened to kill his father prior to the shooting, according to court records.
If convicted, Ross Johnson - who has yet to be arraigned - faces as long as 100 years or life in prison. He also could face an additional 10 years on any prison sentence because a firearm was used in the commission of the crime.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com