Orange County given 2-week extension to find beds for mentally ill inmates

With a bed shortage potentially leading to the release of 12 mentally ill inmates facing criminal charges, Orange County has been given a two-week extension to find a facility to house two of the men who could've been freed this week, according to the OC Health Care Agency.

On Wednesday, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer urged his colleagues to find a solution, especially since some of the men were accused of violent crimes, including murder and sexual assault. 

"The reason I've sounded this alarm is because I'm scared to death for the public," Spitzer said. "If we don't have a treatment bed where they can go to be worked on by professionals to be restored with respect to their capacity, they have to be released from custody."

Spitzer said the mentally ill inmates with criminal charges pending must go to state hospitals for up to two years to restore their competency and allow the court to proceed with the trial. 

If they can't, they are remanded to a mental health facility. However, the county lacks an adequate number of beds, leading to the possibility of the inmates being released into Orange County, according to Spitzer. 

Two of the inmates, Manvir Sandher and Derrick Riehl, were scheduled for release on Friday. Sandher was charged with allegedly beating his neighbor in Fountain Valley in June 2023. His mother, Baljeet Sandher, called on officials to keep her son in custody. 

"This is really an injustice," Baljeet Sandher said. "He can hurt anybody, or he can hurt himself. He is not safe on the street."

The OC Health Care Agency, which oversees the organization responsible for securing the treatment beds, said county officials plan to build more beds through the state Behavioral Health Care Infrastructure Program following the extension. The HCA also plans to lobby lawmakers to change the legislation.

The District Attorney's Office contested the HCA's claim that it received an extension.