Delmont man to remain in jail as judge seeks answers to mental health questions

An 82-year-old Delmont man’s mental health struggle has left him behind bars for more than two years, and a Westmoreland County judge this week said he is at a loss as to what should happen next.

“I think anything would be better than him spending his last years in jail because of how the mental health system works here. It’s a choice of cutting him loose with no place to go or keeping him in jail,” Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger said during a hearing for the man, who is awaiting trial in the attempted murder of his next-door neighbor.

Terrance Kurhansky was charged in September 2019 after, police said, he used a handmade rifle to shoot at his neighbor’s home. Police said Kurhansky believed his neighbor was attempting to attack him with high-frequency radio waves. During a court hearing last year, defense attorney James Crosby said Kurhansky covered his home in foil in an attempt to stave off the radio waves before the shooting.

That home since has been sold by family members, Crosby said.

Kurhansky’s prosecution was delayed — first after Krieger questioned Kurhansky’s mental condition during a hearing last year and again in March, when the judge ruled Kurhansky was not competent to stand trial.

On Tuesday, Krieger ordered that another psychological evaluation be conducted within the next month to determine if Kurhansky’s mental condition improved enough to allow him to participate in his defense.

Kurhansky has been receiving mental health treatment at Westmoreland County Prison.

Diane Frey, a criminal justice liaison who works with the county courts and the mental health system, said Kurhansky has improved but his outlook remains unclear.

A release to a personal care home that would monitor Kurhansky and provide a level of mental health treatment is not an option, at least for now. Crosby said he’s found no facility that would accept Kurhansky after he is released from jail.

“Other than his getting an apartment, there is nowhere else for him to go,” Crosby said.

The judge said he considered releasing Kurhansky on bail but was reluctant to do so without a guarantee he continues to receive mental health care.

Assistant District Attorney Jackie Knupp said a potential plea bargain remains on the table that, if accepted, would require Kurhansky to serve a five- to 10-year prison sentence. Krieger also could accept a general guilty plea and impose a sentence without a deal from prosecutors.

“To me, it is not acceptable that an 80-year-old man is kept in jail, kept in limbo for 2¹⁄₂ years. Where do I release him to? I want him to get services, but I don’t know what else to do,” the judge said.