Charges against ‘Man in tree’ may be dropped
Nov 1, 2016, 6:49 AM | Updated: 9:24 am
Cody Miller sits near the top of a sequoia tree Wednesday, March 23, 2016, in downtown Seattle. (AP)
(AP)
The man who made national news by refusing to come down from a sequoia tree in downtown Seattle could have his charges dismissed.
Cody Miller was charged in King County’s regional mental health court with misdemeanor assault and malicious mischief charges. But prosecutors say if he complies with certain conditions, including mental health treatment and daily medication monitoring, the charges will be dismissed.
Related: #ManInTree is a ‘pretty decent guy,’ Seattle superhero says
Miller was originally charged with felonies after he climbed to the top of the tree in March. He stayed in the tree for about 25 hours. He threw an apple at medics and ripped branches off the tree and tossed them to the ground. He also reportedly threw pine cones.
While he was in the 80-foot tree, Seattle police reported that Miller appeared to be “suffering from a crisis.” He refused to speak to officers and reportedly told people he was armed with a knife.
Once in custody, Miller refused to leave his jail cell for his first court appearance.
He was eventually found not competent to stand trial and sent to Western State Hospital for several months of mental health treatment.
Miller’s story went viral, with a new Twitter account and the hashtag ManInTree trending.
Officials did not say if Miller is a member of the city’s ballooning homeless population. But a police report said he was previously arrested after being approached by a bicycle officer because he was sitting on the sidewalk in front of a Starbucks in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
An Instagram photo of Miller prior to the incident in the tree shows him sitting on a section of a couch with his feet up on a fire hydrant.
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