Defendant will continue detention, treatment at LRC
Murder suspect Caleb Arnett will remain in the custody of the state Department of Health and Human Services’ Lincoln Regional Center (LRC) for the foreseeable future.
The 29-year-old Aurora man appeared in Hamilton County Court via video conference last Tuesday for a show cause and competency status hearing before Judge Lynelle Homolka. Arnett is charged with five counts including first degree murder in connection with a Dec. 2, 2023, incident in Aurora that resulted in the stabbing death of his step father, Ross Nicholas, and injuries to his mother and step-brother.
Arnett was represented in court by his attorney, Robert Kortus, who offered Exhibit 3 consisting of an updated letter from the LRC dated Aug. 27. With no objection coming from County Attorney Douglas Dexter, the court received the letter as a sealed confidential document.
Court documents state that as a result of the hearing, Homolka had ruled, “Based on the evidence, the court finds that the defendant is not competent to stand trail, but there is a substantial probability that the defendant will be restored to competency in the reasonably foreseeable future.”
The order further stated, “The court finds good cause to continue the defendant’s commitment to LRC to restore competency and to schedule a review hearing as required pursuant to (state statute).”
The judge did, however, move to set bond for Arnett at 10 percent of $2 million. She also ordered that he is to have no contact with his mother or step-brother.
The next review hearing for Arnett has been set for Nov. 5 at 8:30 a.m. in county court.