Found guilty in connection to a knife fight, a homeless veteran has been jailed and ordered to seek mental-health treatment from the federal government.<\/p>\n
To self-medicate with marijuana, the veteran reportedly relocated to Cortez during Colorado\u2019s \u201cgreen rush.\u201d<\/p>\n
During a 45-minute sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 8, District Court Judge Todd Plewe said he had no doubt that the defendant, deployed to Afghanistan on two combat missions, suffered from a mental-health disorder.<\/p>\n
Kai Blood, 26, was sentenced to 90 days in jail with credit for time served after a plea deal was reached in connection to the case. He was also ordered by the court to seek mental health treatment from the Veterans Administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Blood belongs in jail,\u201d Plewe said. \u201cHe\u2019s dangerous to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blood was arrested in March after an early morning assault with a knife inside a residence on the 600 block of N. Beech Street. Police said they found a 24-year-old man at the scene with multiple stab wounds to his face and neck.<\/p>\n
According to police, Blood was in possession of a bloody knife when captured hours later. Initially charged with first-degree aggravated assault, Blood pleaded guilty to aggravated felony menacing.<\/p>\n
At sentencing, public defender Katie Whitney argued that her client acted in self-defense after multiple assailants attacked him inside the residence. Blood reportedly suffered a black eye and a stab wound to the leg.<\/p>\n
After his military service, Whitney said, Blood also served time for an undisclosed crime in Texas before relocating to Colorado. He was diagnosed with mental-health disorders in 2012, and he moved to the area in order to take advantage of the state\u2019s decriminalization of marijuana, Whitney said.<\/p>\n
After the court expressed concerns with the plea deal, District Attorney Will Furse said that the alleged victim and the reporting party were drug addicts, and would be unreliable in a prosecution.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a weak case,\u201d said Furse.<\/p>\n
Despite thanking Blood for his service to the country and acknowledging that he likely suffered from service-related mental-health problems, Plewe said he must ensure the public\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need treatment before you kill somebody,\u201d Plewe told Blood.<\/p>\n
Pointing to a probation report that revealed the defendant likely suffered from mental-health issues before joining the military, Plewe said he was further troubled that the U.S. government would deploy such an individual into a combat role.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to turn to the VA,\u201d Plewe advised Blood.<\/p>\n
In addition to jail and mental health treatment, Blood was also ordered to 24 months of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service and substance-abuse treatment and testing.<\/p>\n
Since the stabbing incident, Blood has been arrested and held under a $100,000 bond in two separate cases. Charged with tampering with a witness and domestic violence, Blood faces an April trial date in both cases.<\/p>\n