MOORHEAD - Clay County authorities have dropped a civil commitment case against a Canadian man, but a criminal case involving a charge of attempted murder is moving forward.
Assistant Clay County Attorney Jenny Samarzja said Wednesday that Harmit Bhangu, 33, was being transferred from a state security hospital in St. Peter, Minn., to the Clay County Jail.
Bhangu is expected to make an appearance in Clay County District Court today, where a judge will set conditions for release.
Bhangu had been held in the security hospital while prosecutors attempted to have him committed as a mentally ill and dangerous person.
At the same time, prosecutors were pursuing a criminal case against Bhangu, who is accused in Clay County District Court of nearly stabbing another man to death at a rest stop near Moorhead in January.
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According to court documents, Bhangu stabbed a truck driver eight to 10 times, later telling police that God ordered him to kill the man.
A judge ruled recently that Bhangu was mentally competent to stand trial in the criminal case, a decision that prompted Samarzja to file papers Wednesday dismissing the civil case.
Samarzja said the criminal case will now move toward what could be a two-part trial.
If the case reaches the trial stage, a jury must first decide Bhangu's innocence or guilt. If he is found guilty, the jury would then have to determine whether Bhangu, at the time of the incident, had the mental ability to understand his actions were wrong.
Samarzja said Bhangu had a record of good behavior while at the security hospital and appeared to respond well to medical treatment.
