Baker County Courthouse.

A Baker City woman who was arrested four times on a variety of charges earlier this year will be treated at the Oregon State Hospital after a judge determined that she was not mentally fit to assist in her defense.

Angela Marie Aldrich, 46, remains in the Baker County Jail, where she has been since her most recent arrest on May 12.

She will be taken to the state hospital in Salem when there is space available, according to court records.

Judge Matt Shirtcliff in Baker County Circuit Court on June 17 found that Aldrich has a “qualifying mental disorder” and committed her to the state hospital for up to six months.

The judge’s decision was based in part on mental health evaluations that Aldrich had on May 23 and June 10, according to court records.

Both her attorney, Damien Yervasi of Baker City, and prosecutor Scott Halliday from the Baker County District Attorney’s Office agreed that Aldrich is not fit to aid in her defense, according to records.

Yervasi, filed a notice in circuit court on May 23 stating that he has “concerns about whether defendant is presently unfit to proceed in this matter by reason of incapacity.” Yervasi urged the court to order the state to have Aldrich evaluated by a private psychologist.

Aldrich was arrested May 12 by an Oregon State Police trooper for driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, resisting arrest and attempting to elude police after the trooper tried to stop the pickup she was driving on Interstate 84 near Baker City.

Aldrich was also cited for exceeding 100 mph on the freeway near the south Baker City interchange, according to an OSP report.

A Baker County grand jury on May 15 indicted Aldrich on five counts. There are two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. One count involves Aldrich driving away from the traffic stop, which is a Class C felony, and the other involves her walking away after getting out of the pickup, which is a Class A misdemeanor. The other charges are driving under the influence of intoxicants, a Class A misdemeanor; resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor; and reckless driving, a Class A misdemeanor.

The arrests

OSP Trooper Cody Bennett wrote in a probable cause affidavit that he was on patrol on the freeway about 5:50 p.m. Monday when he saw a silver Toyota Tundra pickup drive by in the westbound lanes. His radar detector showed the pickup was going 111 mph, he wrote.

The driver signaled and exited the freeway at the South Baker City interchange, stopped after he turned on the flashing lights in his patrol car, but then drove away.

Bennett wrote that he followed the truck onto Elm Street, where radar showed the truck’s speed at 65 mph in a 45-mph zone.

He then followed the truck, with his flashing lights off, to Valley Avenue, where the truck stopped in front of 2435 Valley Ave.

Bennett wrote that he saw Aldrich walking toward the house, and he told her to stop. She kept walking, and Bennett wrote that he and Baker City Police Sgt. Rand Weaver, who had responded to the call, each grabbed one of Aldrich’s arms and took her down on the grass where Bennett handcuffed her. He then drove Aldrich to the Baker County Jail, where a breathalyzer at 7:01 p.m. showed her blood alcohol level of 0.07.

“When I was close to her I could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from her person,” Bennett wrote in his affidavit. “She had slurred speech and was highly emotional.”

Aldrich had been released from the jail on April 23 after posting $1,500, which is 10% of her $15,000 bail on charges related to her arrest April 22 for allegedly using a slingshot to shoot rocks at two men.

Aldrich is charged with attempted fourth-degree assault and harassment, both Class B misdemeanors, in that incident, according to court records.

She was arrested on March 3 after leading police on a pursuit through Baker Valley that extended for more than 20 miles. Aldrich was driving a 2021 Toyota 4Runner that had been reported stolen that evening from downtown Baker City.

A grand jury indicted Aldrich March 6 on four charges, all Class C felonies: unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, first-degree criminal mischief and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

Aldrich was released from the Baker County Jail on March 24 after posting $4,500, 10% of her $45,000 bail.

She was arrested on Feb. 26 on charges of first- and second-degree criminal trespassing, after she allegedly walked into an unlocked home near Quail Ridge Golf Course.

She was given a conditional release from the jail on those charges.