Army Veteran Threatened to Attack a Synagogue will Undergo Mental Health Evaluation (Photo: Yahoo)
A judge ruled Wednesday that a US Army veteran accused of threatening to “shoot up” a Southern Nevada synagogue will undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether he will face criminal charges.
Michael Sanchez, 37, spoke quietly with his attorney, Rochelle Clove, before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini canceled a preliminary hearing, accepted Clove’s request for a competency review, and scheduled Sanchez to appear in state court on March 10.
Sanchez’s father, Michael Sanchez of Hemet, California, has been pleading with police and court officials since his son’s arrest for psychological care for his son, whom the father claims have exhibited ongoing erratic behavior being an army veteran suffering head injuries while serving in the military in Iraq.
Army Veteran Threatened to Attack a Synagogue will Undergo Mental Health Evaluation (Photo: The New York Times)
Sanchez was arrested on January 29 after police said he called a rabbi at a synagogue, said congregants were child molesters who deserved to die and mentioned a shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, in April 2019 that killed a woman and injured three others.
Following his arrest, Sanchez displayed paranoia, admitted calling and threatening “to shoot up the synagogue,” and claimed Jews and police were out to get him. The court is yet to decide whether being an army veteran has something to do with Sanchez violent behavior.
Two weeks ago, Sanchez’s father told The Associated Press that his son was honorably discharged at the rank of sergeant and had received VA psychological treatment several times for what the father attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder.
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