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PROVO — A man who police said held a woman at knife point in a Rock Canyon restroom in November was released to the custody of his family Wednesday. Prosecutors said it was unclear whether his case would ever go to trial because of his mental competency.
Detectives in November said Wayne Ray Leas, Jr. detained the woman and ordered her to disrobe before one of the woman’s friends received an open call from the woman’s cell phone and came to her aid.
Wednesday afternoon, 4th District Court Judge Thomas Low released Leas. He was being held at the Utah County Jail on first-degree felony charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated sexual assault.
“They determined that he was incompetent again, and did not have a substantial likelihood of being restored,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Doug Finch said. “As a result, I can’t keep him in custody anymore.”
The victim’s mother, who requested her name not be used to protect her daughter’s identity, also raised concerns about the current laws and a lack of consequences for actions.
“The nightmarish characters we see in thrillers and horror movies are in reality allowed to live among us to do as they will without so much as a slap on the wrist,” a statement from the mother read. “Wayne Leas’ family has proven they are incapable of controlling him."
Court documents stated that Leas admitted to attempting to rape the victim, and that the attack left the woman with bodily injuries.
The mother said she believed Leas intended to kill her daughter.
“After he was stopped by my daughter’s friends, he then went to BYU campus to find another victim using one of his knives,” the statement continued. “What are we to do? How are we to protect our families and community? This is a scary situation we find ourselves in tonight. It’s a scary, appalling reality.”
Finch said family members were planning to return Leas to Montana, where he lived prior to coming to Utah for a visit last summer.
“It breaks my heart to tell somebody that their deepest fear that it may happen to somebody else again, that there’s really nothing I can do in this situation,” Finch said.
Finch added that any effort to keep Leas institutionalized is in the hands of the Utah Department of Human Services, which already released Leas to the care and custody of his family after years in the state’s system.
“I’m not happy with their mandate to use the least restrictive method to keep the communities safe from individuals like this,” he said.
“We serve under the direction of the Courts and Justice System in its decisions for the best course of action for public safety," department spokeswoman Heather Barnum said in a written statement. "Our services and treatment support safety and accountability, while not stigmatizing or criminalizing the complexities of mental health disorders.”
From last November:
Police arrest man accused of sexually assaulting woman in Provo public restroom
Provo police arrested a man accused of barricading a woman in a public restroom, threatening her with a knife and forcing her to disrobe, according to a tweet from the Provo Police Department.Finch said cases like these aren’t exactly rare.
“This has kind of been a bad year for me in that I’ve had at least four cases that fit very similar to this,” the prosecutor said.
The problem boils down to funding, oversight and a backlog of services, Finch believes.
An attempt to reach the Utah Department of Human Services for comment late Wednesday night had not yet resulted in a response.
The prosecutor noted that the case had not been dismissed and was still open, but it would take a significant change in Leas’ competency for him ever to stand trial.
“One of my worst or deepest problems I have with my job is explaining to families the reality of our system,” Finch said, while addung that prosecutors would continue to monitor Leas with help from law enforcement agencies in Montana.
A review hearing was scheduled for July 11, according to court records.
We pray that he can get the help he needs, so that he can understand the gravity of his choices and the people he affected and hurt.
–Family statement
A statement issued by Leas’ family expressed regret for what had taken place in November.
“The family feels for the victim and wishes this never had happened in the first place, ever,” the statement read. “It is a bittersweet reunion for the family. He will be getting the help he needs in Montana. The family wants the victim to know that we sympathize with her completely and we can make sure this never happens again.
"Through the counseling and treatment programs," the statement continues, "we pray that he can get the help he needs, so that he can understand the gravity of his choices and the people he affected and hurt. She is in our prayers, and we pray that this does not affect her in the long term, and that she can forgive him at some point.”
