WASHINGTON — The man accused of calling in false threats to Metro stations in D.C. isn’t suffering from mental illness, a psychiatrist finds.
Jerez Stone-Coleman’s defense attorney argued that Stone-Coleman should be released under house arrest and receive psychological care. Prosecutors wanted Stone-Coleman to remain behind bars.
A judge previously ruled Thursday that Stone-Coleman should stay behind bars and have a mental evaluation. On Friday, after the evaluation by a jail psychiatrist, Stone-Coleman wasn’t found to be suffering from mental illness.
Magistrate Judge G. M. Harvey opted to keep Stone-Coleman in jail, because under house arrest, there is no assurance that he’ll be kept away from a phone. The judge said he is not confident that the court can take Stone-Coleman at his word when it comes to staying away from a telephone.
Harvey also made Stone-Coleman aware that the phones at the jail are monitored.
Stone-Coleman, who appeared in the MTV show “Catfish”, was indicted on 11 felony counts for calls that came into 911 starting in December of 2014. Metro transit police say the calls included bomb threats and threats of violence against Metro buses and trains. In one instance a call investigators say came from Stone-Coleman spoke of an ambush on President Barack Obama’s motorcade.
He has only been charged with 11 false threat calls, but prosecutors say investigators are examining 338 calls made to D.C.’s 911 system from a cell phone used in six of the calls Stone-Coleman faces charges for.
Many of the incidents resulted in an emergency response and Metro stations being temporarily closed.
