Initial Court Appearance
Joel’s Law Hearing
I received two phone calls this morning, regarding the Joel’s Law petition we filed that led to Patrick’s involuntary commitment. The first was from the treatment center where Patrick is being cared for, one of the facilities that I called last week hoping to locate Patrick. They shared that Patrick was indeed staying with them and they invited us to attend the public hearing on his initial detention tomorrow.
The second call that I received was from the prosecuting attorney for the petition. Their role is to represent the state’s interest in the petition on behalf of the court, to present the evidence and call any witnesses during the hearing, with the aim of arguing that the requirements under Joel’s Law were met. He wanted to also inform us of the public hearing and to confirm whether we would attend. Patrick will have his own attorney and the physician has evidence and testimony regarding the past week’s care.
We plan to drive up together to support him in his treatment, and we both pray that the hearing concludes that Patrick’s interests are best served by remaining under a doctor’s care for the time being, until he stabilizes and has a chance at himself again.
Guardianship matters
This morning, I also visited the Snohomish county superior court again to file additional documents for the hearing on the Emergency Guardianship petition that I filed Friday for Patrick. The county clerk was very helpful in steering me towards what was required. Prior to filing, I had to present the documents to the court for completion and execution of the orders.
So, I made my first court appearance. I felt entirely out of place in my jeans and Seahawks sweater. In hand I had
An Order to Appoint a Court Visitor, and
A Motion and Order to Appoint a Lawyer.
A Court Visitor represents the courts interests, investigates the case, obtains testimony from health experts, and presents a recommendation to the court. The lawyer represents Patrick and his interests in the Guardianship matter. Despite my worries, I apparently had everything in order as both orders were executed, and I was able to file the documents with the clerk.
After returning home, I spoke to the court’s visitor, an attorney in Bellevue. Since Patrick is technically indigent, a public defender was assigned to represent him. It will take a few days for the office to officially receive the updated case from the clerk’s office and identify to whom the case might be assigned.
Once assigned, all of the parties will arrange a hearing date and time, and we will notify the parties officially about it.
Representation
Mary and I made an appointment with an attorney in Bellevue that is expert in such cases to represent us in the guardianship matters. We are on their schedule for July 3.