Man found incompetent to stand trial for kidnapping

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho dismissed Friday the case against a man who was arrested in 2010 for allegedly kidnapping a 5-year-old girl and taking her to a jungle where he choked her.

Camacho dismissed the case against Steven A. Hocog, 40, without prejudice after the defense and the prosecution agreed to dismiss the matter.

Dismissed without prejudice means the prosecution can re-file the matter in the future.

Assistant attorney general Shannon R. Foley and defense counsel Samuel Mok agreed that based on the psychiatric evaluation results, Hocog is not currently competent to stand trial and is unlikely to regain his competency through rehabilitation or treatment.

In dismissing the case, Camacho also vacated any pretrial conditions imposed on Hocog.

Camacho said any order of conditional release does not stop future civil commitment proceedings.

Dr. Martin Blinder evaluated Hocog on July 10, 2014, and reported that the defendant “lacks the mental capacity to follow the contours of the legal road ahead, comprehend a judicial process, grasp the charges and its relationship to possible penalties, or collaborate with counsel in the preparation of a defense.”

Blinder also reported that “no purpose would be served in providing [Hocog] psychiatric care in the hopes of restoring competency in that even the most effective psychiatric treatment cannot restore that which was not there in the first place.”

The government then hired Dr. Michael Kim as an independent expert to also conduct a psychiatric evaluation of Hocog.

Kim’s report determined that Hocog “does not have the competence to stand trial and be proceeded against.” Kim concluded that Hocog is presently suffering from a significant mental defect that would render him incompetent to stand trial.

Kim further indicated that Hocog “is currently not receiving any mental health care and would not benefit from such care at this time.”

He said any efforts to rehabilitate Hocog would be fruitless, as his condition is a chronic pervasive mental defect that is very unlikely to improve despite any treatment.

Hocog had been charged with kidnapping, assault and battery, and disturbing the peace.

According to the prosecution, Hocog found the girl at Rio Laundry in Kagman and took her to the jungle on March 10, 2010. In the jungle, Hocog allegedly choked the girl but she managed to fight him off and escaped. She sustained some scratches.

Police detective Melissa H. Bauleong stated in her report that responding officers reviewed the surveillance camera’s footage at Rio-II Poker & Laundry that led to the identification and arrest of Hocog.

Hocog was seen hanging around the laundry area. As the victim’s parents left the laundromat, police said Hocog went to the laundry area and sat on a bench next to where the girl was sitting.