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Rifle man accused of kidnapping appears in court with severe gash on neck

District court judge rules in favor of a competency evaluation

Janvier Pinkard.

The Rifle man accused of breaking into a Silt foster home while brandishing a gun showed up to district court on Thursday with a bandaged gash on his neck.

Janvier Pinkard, 35, is facing charges of felony kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment, as well as misdemeanor counts of violation of protection order, child abuse, harassment, felon in possession with a weapon and intimidating a victim.

He’s been incarcerated since his arrest in December 2020.



Public Defender Elise Myer asked District Court Judge Denise Lynch for additional time for Pinkard to receive a competency evaluation.

Previously, an evaluation was facilitated for Pinkard. He declined to take the evaluations.



Though it was not made clear how Pinkard suffered the injury to his neck, Myer said she recently received from the Garfield County Attorney’s Office an update regarding Pinkard’s health.

“The jail expressed significant concern about Mr. Pinkard, because his neck wound had become severely infected to the extent that it was malodorous,” she said. “And I think there was significant concern that it could ultimately be a lethal infection.”

The Post Independent has reached out to Myers and Garfield County Detention in relation to how Pinkard suffered the injury but was unable to obtain any information.

Myer said she believes an “M1” — an emergency health request — was initiated from the jail so Pinkard could get treated at the hospital.

“But he remains in what I will describe as a very dire situation mentally and physically,” Myer said. “I understand there may be a belief, at least on the part of (Paul Kapturkiewicz), that there may be some malingering or that there’s some intentionality to the behaviors that Mr. Pinkard is exhibiting.”

Paul Kapturkiewicz operates the foster home in Silt.

“My concern is that were somebody to take such extreme measures that Mr. Pinkard is taking in subjecting himself to such significant pain and injury, I think there is an acute mental condition here,” Myer said.

Pinkard was originally arrested after he was suspected of breaking into the Silt foster home Dec. 20, 2020, and demanding to see a safe where he claimed there was stored child pornography, according to court documents.

Pinkard was motivated by “concerns for his daughter,” Myer told Lynch in February. His mother’s daughter was living in the foster home at the time of the alleged break-in.

No one was hurt during the time of the incident, and Pinkard was eventually arrested a day later and placed on $100,000 cash surety bond.

After he was arrested, however, Pinkard was charged with additional counts. During the booking process, officers discovered narcotics on his person.

According to court documents, Pinkard was caught trying to destroy a combined 33 grams of methamphetamine and methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) by either flushing it down the toilet or personal ingestion.

Pinkard would receive additional charges, including felony tampering of physical evidence, introducing contraband in the first degree as well as misdemeanor unlawful possession of a controlled substance. He’d also be placed on an additional $7,500 bond.

While in custody, Pinkard has requested that the courts produce documents in relation to previous juvenile cases alleging dependency and neglect against the mother.

Those records were not discussed Thursday.

Lynch ruled in favor of Pinkard receiving a competency evaluation.

“At this point, he’s a danger to himself and to others, in the court’s best estimation,” Lynch said of Pinkard. “We need to get the evaluation before we move forward.”

Pinkard’s next court appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. June 24.

Reporter Ray K. Erku can be reached at 612-423-5273 or rerku@postindependent.com.


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