Jailed teen waited 4 years for a mental health evaluation

In 2012, Tyler Haire was arrested by authorities in Mississippi. He was charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly took a 10-inch butcher knife and stabbed his father’s girlfriend

A 16-year-old teen with a history of serious mental health issues was not permitted to see a psychiatrist or mental health specialist for four years while he awaited trial for allegedly stabbing his father’s girlfriend, it was reported on Friday.

In 2012, Tyler Haire was arrested by authorities in Mississippi. He was charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly took a 10-inch butcher knife and stabbed Shelia Hughes, his father’s girlfriend.

The stabbing left Hughes with a colon that was sliced in half, according to a joint BBC-ProPublica report.

‘I remember calling the cops and standing outside, so I didn’t have to look at what I did,’ Haire said.

‘The only part I remember is me going to get water after looking for some Kool-Aid that I was left by my mother.

‘After that, it’s blurry.’

Haire was placed in solitary confinement at the Calhoun County Jail in Mississippi, though the sheriff said it was for his own protection.

Despite a history of serious mental health issues, he was not permitted to see a psychiatrist or mental health specialist for four years while he awaited trial

Despite a history of serious mental health issues, he was not permitted to see a psychiatrist or mental health specialist for four years while he awaited trial

He would be charged with aggravated assault as an adult.

The district attorney for the Third Circuit, Ben Creekmore, said Haire was supposed to undergo a mental health evaluation shortly after his arrest.

But it would take almost four years for Haire to be evaluated by a mental health expert.

This despite the fact that Haire’s mother, Bridget Haire, says her son has been diagnosed with at least 10 different mental illness over the course of his life.

These include generalized anxiety disorder, impulse control disorder, major depression with homicidal ideations, major depressive disorder with psychotic tendencies, and bipolar disorder.

Haire said he would hear voice in his head that would drive him ‘miserable to the brink of suicide.’

Haire’s mother, Bridget Haire (center), says her son has been diagnosed with at least 10 different mental illness over the course of his life

Haire’s mother, Bridget Haire (center), says her son has been diagnosed with at least 10 different mental illness over the course of his life

Bridget Haire says her son was first put on medication for mental illness when he was just four years of age.

When Tyler Haire was a young boy, he exhibited behavior that raised red flags.

He had once threatened to bomb his school. He also chased his two siblings around with a knife, threatening to stab them.

His family believed he had strangled a cat to death with his bare hands.

He would eventually be placed in a home for troubled boys. On a number of occasions, he was hospitalized.

Nonetheless, it took 1,266 days in the county jail before he was seen by a psychiatrist. All this time he did not take any of his prescribed medication.

Bridget Haire says her son was first put on medication for mental illness when he was just four years of age

Bridget Haire says her son was first put on medication for mental illness when he was just four years of age

When Tyler Haire was a young boy, he exhibited behavior that raised red flags. He had once threatened to bomb his school. He also chased his two siblings around with a knife, threatening to stab them

When Tyler Haire was a young boy, he exhibited behavior that raised red flags. He had once threatened to bomb his school. He also chased his two siblings around with a knife, threatening to stab them

While in jail, Tyler’s father, Walter Haire, had one of his close friends inside the jail administer a beating in order to punish the boy for what he did to his family.

Tyler Haire’s story illustrates Mississippi’s dismal record in evaluating mentally ill people who are put through the criminal justice system.

Records obtained by ProPublica show that defendants in Mississippi jails could wait up to four years for a mental health evaluation – even though they’ve yet to be convicted of a crime.

Mississippi has slashed its budgets to the point that diagnosing vulnerable defendants is not enough of a priority.

The state is being sued by the Department of Justice for the lengthy time it takes for inmates to receive psychiatric evaluations.

The lack of mental health care was taking a toll on Tyler Haire. In his four years in jail, he would often scream and throw tantrums.

His family believed he had strangled a cat to death with his bare hands

His family believed he had strangled a cat to death with his bare hands

He would also complain that he saw aliens and heard voices that told him to do things, including what shows to watch on television and what time to wake up in the morning.

In August 2016, Tyler Haire was finally evaluated by a psychologist, who would determine that he was competent to stand trial as an adult.

Nonetheless, he said: ‘At the time of the alleged crime, consistent with his history, he probably had a diminished capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law just as he has never had the skills to live adaptively without support.’

After 32 days in a psychiatric hospital, Haire was sent back to county jail.

He accepted a plea bargain requiring him to serve seven years in prison. He is due for release next year thanks to credit for time served. 



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