Naked Fresno man who chased three school girls won’t face trial, judge rules
A Fresno man who ran naked after a group of students on their way to school will be sent to a facility for treatment, a judge ruled Thursday.
Joshua Mankini, 37, was arrested on Feb. 21 for indecent exposure, child molestation, assault with intent to commit rape and false imprisonment with violence.
Mankini is accused of chasing after three female Central Unified students in the area of Incline and Harvard avenues, west of Highway 99 and north of Clinton Avenue. Police said he ran up from behind one of the students, grabbed her and pulled her to the ground.
At the time, Mankini was living in a group home care facility but managed to slip out.
He faced 11 years and two months in prison had he been found guilty of all the charges.
But a court-appointed doctor found Mankini not competent to stand trial because of a developmental disability, said his public defender Stephanie Negin.
In June, the court ordered Mankini to be evaluated by the staff of the Porterville Developmental Center for possible placement.
After reviewing the report, Judge Heather Mardel Jones on Thursday ordered he be placed in the center for a maximum of two years.
The Porterville center serves people with developmental disabilities including those who have been accused of crimes and have been determined to be a danger to themselves or others and/or incompetent to stand trial.
Negin said any person who can’t be restored to competency is referred to the public guardian to determine if they are eligible for conservatorship. If they are, a judge will appoint someone to take care of them.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
