PARIS — A homeless man accused of stealing two police vehicles, leading a chase and exchanging gunfire with police in Paris on May 6 did not appear before a judge Friday as scheduled.
Gary Porter, 37, is charged with six felonies after escaping police custody May 6 on unrelated charges. Porter is currently being held at York County Jail.
Several media outlets, including the Sun Journal, reported on Friday that Porter missed his third scheduled initial appearance via Zoom in the South Paris District Court due to Zoom audio issues and a lack of jail staff.
York County Sheriff William King said in a Saturday morning email to reporters that the audio issues were resolved within 10 minutes and everyone on the docket was called. Porter was not on the docket and thus would not have appeared, he said.
Porter’s appearance had been rescheduled twice from the original date of May 8. Porter was found unfit for court via Zoom on that day as he mumbled answers to the judge and nodded off. Porter was found unfit for court again on the subsequent rescheduled May 10 appearance.
Porter’s attorney Justin Leary said his client is now “in sufficient condition” to proceed. Leary said he would not contest any argument about bail or the state’s motion to revoke bail on an earlier case. Leary also said he filed a motion for evaluations for mental competency to determine if Porter suffered from an abnormal condition of mind at the time of his alleged criminal conduct.
Porter’s appearance was rescheduled for Monday, according to media reports.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.