ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Grieving Webster parents Jon and Karen Ritter told Ohio lawmakers earlier this month that delays in the justice system have left them without answers nearly a year and a half after their son, Cleveland Police Officer Jameson Ritter, was killed in the line of duty.
During a hearing on Senate Bill 295, which would extend the period for competency restoration in violent felony cases from one year to five, the Ritters described how the man accused of murdering their son, Delwante Hardy, was deemed incompetent to stand trial and transferred to a behavioral health facility, but reportedly refused court-ordered treatment for months with little oversight.
“The system does work, or can work, if the facility is on board with proper treatment. Our case is completely opposite of that,” Jon Ritter said, recounting how the court and prosecutor’s office were not informed about Hardy’s refusal to take medications meant to restore his competency…