Man pleads guilty but mentally ill to harassment at Saint Vincent Madeleine O'Neill
Erie Times-NewsFeb 14, 2017
A homeless man who was accused of choking a nurse at
Erie police said the defendant,
Robinson, 28, was originally charged with aggravated assault in the case, but instead pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a reduced charge of harassment, a third-degree misdemeanor.
Erie County Judge
Brabender said Robinson could be discharged when a parole plan was in place.
Robinson was housed at the
Robinson's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender
Goellner also said Robinson's IQ had previously tested at 61 and he had undergone "innumerable commitments" for his mental health problems.
"This is a classic case of using the prison system to treat our mentally ill," she said.
An IQ of 61 puts Robinson's intellectual functioning in the bottom 2 percent of the population, according to the Intellectual Disability Rights Service.
Goellner said she was hopeful Robinson would be approved for a residential mental health rehabilitation program after his release from prison.