A woman charged with trying to take another woman’s child in the Des Moines skywalk in January remains incompetent to stand trial, according to court filings, and the judge has given the go-ahead to begin proceedings for her long-term mental health commitment.
Laurie Potter, 57, was charged with felony child stealing in the bizarre Jan. 5 incident in which Potter and Michael Ross, 44, allegedly accosted Hubbell Tower Apartments manager Shay Lindberg as she was leaving work and grabbed her young son. According to incident reports, Potter said the child was actually hers and that his real father was “Thor.” Lindberg then pulled out her handgun, which Iowa law allowed her to legally carry concealed and told the two to leave, which they did.
Both Ross and Lindberg were homeless and were known to skywalk security officers, who swiftly identified them. Potter was quickly arrested, and her attorney within days filed for a competency evaluation, saying Potter appeared incapable of understanding the charges against her.
Due to a lack of capacity and lengthy waitlist for competency restoration treatment in the Iowa prison system, it took more than six months for Potter to be admitted. The facility where she is being treated has reported she is “likely not restorable” to competency due to serious mental illness.
In an order dated Nov. 15, Judge Jeffrey Farrell authorized the mental health facility to initiate civil commitment proceedings to provide for Potter’s long-term care. Farrell noted that prosecutors have indicated they are willing to dismiss the case in light of her possible commitment.
Potter’s attorney, David Barajas, declined to comment on the recent filings.
Meanwhile, the case against codefendant Ross is on hold after he was granted pretrial release but failed to report to an addiction recovery facility in April. Court records show a warrant remains pending for his arrest.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at [email protected], 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.