POWELL — That Cameron Boni remains in jail and not in a mental health facility is a source of frustration for Park County Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah, who’s presiding over Boni’s pending criminal charges.
“This is a troubling case for me,” Darrah said Oct. 12, as he ordered Boni to remain held on $100,000 bond, “because Mr. Boni is a product of a system, in my mind, that is broken.”
Court records say Boni raced into Powell at 143 mph in May, hitting four different vehicles before his Jetta slid to a stop on Coulter Avenue. No one was seriously injured, which police have called “miraculous.”
Boni appeared to be suffering from paranoia at the time: Although no one was pursuing him, the 50-year-old reportedly told the Wyoming Highway Patrol he was fleeing people who had planted a bomb in his car and were after his money.
In July, a psychologist from the Wyoming State Hospital concluded that Boni currently has “significant mental illness” and is unfit to stand trial.
He now is awaiting transport to the Wyoming State Hospital, where staff will work to restore his competency, but defense attorney Tim Blatt said it could be another two months before a bed is available.
Boni’s physical and mental health has declined during the five months he’s spent in jail, Blatt said, arguing that his client should be released on a $5,000 bond and stay with family members in Cody until he can be taken to the state hospital.
Continuing to incarcerate someone who’s mentally ill, “I don’t think that’s appropriate and that’s what we should be doing in our criminal justice system,” Blatt said at the Oct. 12 hearing. He added that, “This was a person who was suffering from mental illness and really didn’t even understand what he was doing.”
However, Deputy Park County Attorney Jack Hatfield said Blatt’s recommendation that Boni be released to his mother and stepfather’s care “makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.”
Hatfield said any bond modification would endanger the public.
“If this court releases him, it may very well cost somebody their life,” the prosecutor contended, saying Boni needs to stay in custody until the competency issues are resolved.
“This isn’t even a close case,” Hatfield said, describing Boni as a “violent convicted felon” who “was trying to kill people.”
However, Blatt said the evidence indicates Boni didn’t know what he was doing. The defense attorney said all signs point to May’s incident stemming from mental illness, and Darrah agreed.
Boni had prior convictions for felony third-degree assault in 2001 in Oregon and aggravated assault 2007 in Park County in 2007, for an incident in which he reportedly threatened a sheriff’s deputy with a knife.
Because of the two prior felonies, Hatfield is alleging that Boni qualifies as a “habitual criminal.” That enhancement means that a conviction on Boni’s pending aggravated assault charge related to the crash would carry a minimum 10-year sentence; Boni also faces a felony count of property destruction and a misdemeanor count of driving without auto insurance.
However, even assuming Boni’s competency is restored, he may be found not guilty by reason of mental illness, Blatt said.
Boni’s mother testified that her son had a traumatic childhood and received years of counseling, including as an adult.
Kathy Thompson said her son had been doing well recently, with May’s incident coming as a surprise.
“I think that anybody that knows Cameron [Boni] … if they were sitting here would say, ‘This isn’t the Cameron we know. This just isn’t,’” Thompson said, describing him as kind and good. She said Boni has many people who care about him — and she expressed concern about how his health has deteriorated in jail.
“It’s really hard to look at him right now,” Thompson said.
Judge Darrah agreed that Boni should be receiving mental health treatment, but he didn’t feel that Blatt’s proposal contained enough safeguards; the judge said Boni’s parents can’t watch him 24/7 or prevent him from getting behind the wheel when he’s out on bond.
“If he wants to go, he’s gonna go,” Darrah said, “... and it might be too late by the time that the law enforcement officer catches up with him.”
The judge asked why state officials haven’t tried to get Boni into treatment by declaring him to be a danger to others as a result of mental illness, a process referred to as a Title 25 commitment. However, Hatfield said such a proceeding would only complicate and delay the criminal case.
While rejecting the defense’s proposed bond modification on Oct. 12, Darrah said he was willing to reconsider any proposals that include “a better safety plan and better limitations.”
“He definitely needs the treatment, I’m concerned about his health …,” Darrah said of Boni. “But I also have to weigh the safety of the public.”
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