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Competency exam ordered for man accused of stabbing
The court has ordered a competency examination for Ronell Hart, the man accused of stabbing a correctional sergeant outside the Milwaukee County Jail.
MILWAUKEE - The court has ordered a competency examination for Ronell Hart, the man accused of stabbing a correctional sergeant outside the Milwaukee County Jail.
Officials said 41-year-old Ronell Hart has a history of mental illness and was a former jail inmate. The correctional sergeant was stabbed at least four times and suffered a punctured lung, according to court filings.
It happened near 9th and State around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 5 as the sergeant was on his way in to work. A criminal complaint states the sergeant recognized the former inmate and asked: "Hart, what are you doing out here?" Hart then reached into his jacket and attacked the sergeant multiple times a sharp object.
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The 51-year-old sergeant got free and sought help in the jail's lobby, per the complaint. The attack was captured on surveillance, which allegedly showed Hart arriving around 5:10 a.m. and "waiting" for the sergeant before the attack.
Later that morning, police arrested Hart near 8th and Galena – less than a mile from the jail. The sergeant was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries but is expected to be OK.
Lawsuit against sergeant
Court filings show Hart filed a federal lawsuit three weeks ago, accusing the sergeant and others of violating his rights when he was a county jail inmate. Hart's handwritten complaint said jail staff should have observed him for suicidal and homicidal reasons – but he said that didn’t happen.
A psychologist diagnosed Hart with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, according to a court-ordered mental health evaluation included in the lawsuit. It also warned that, should Hart discontinue use of his medications, he would be "vulnerable to experiencing a period of psychiatric decline and behavioral dysregulation."
Hart is also accused of violence inside the jail. While he was there on a different case, prosecutors said he punched a correctional officer in the face last May as they tried to move him between cells.