Charges dismissed for man with 'severe mental health issues'

A judge dismissed charges against a Jeannette man accused of breaking into a county detective’s home last year and assaulting him.

Judge Timothy Krieger ruled earlier this month that “there’s no probability that the defendant can be restored to competency at now or at any time in the future,” according to a court order.

Seven charges against Jonathan E. Craft, including burglary and aggravated assault, were dismissed following an evidentiary hearing.

The proceeding came after an October hearing during which Krieger ordered a competency evaluation and reinstated house arrest for Craft when the detective expressed concerns about the suspect being unsupervised. Craft had home supervision lifted in October after Krieger ruled him incompetent to stand trial. He had been on home electronic monitoring since being released from jail on bail last year.

Authorities say Craft entered the detective’s Jeannette home on Aug. 12, 2024, headed toward the second floor, and when confronted, claimed, “My people sent me here.” The two men struggled on the living room floor until police arrived and found Craft being held at gunpoint. Authorities said they seized marijuana, a THC pen, a knife and drug paraphernalia from him.

Krieger said in the order that he decided to dismiss the charges after reviewing medical reports that indicated Craft suffers from “severe mental health issues, including severe intellectual disability and anoxic brain injury.”

Attorneys said during the October hearing that Craft has cognitive disabilities related to a traumatic brain injury caused by a near drowning as a child.