A Rifle man who pleaded insanity in December on allegations that he was armed with a handgun and forcefully entered a Silt foster home where his daughter was living will not be released from jail pending a new mental health evaluation.

Janvier Pinkard, 36, appeared remotely from the Garfield County Jail on Thursday before District Judge Denise Lynch for a review hearing in his case.

Pinkard pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, mental condition, in early December to several felony charges, including menacing, first-degree burglary, criminal intent to commit first-degree kidnapping, intimidation of a victim and felon in possession of a weapon.

He allegedly used a handgun to force his way into the home in December 2020, accusing the foster family of child pornography. There was no evidence of such activity in follow-up police investigations.

Pinkard, meanwhile, has remained in the Garfield County Jail without bond since his arrest by Silt police.

Given the delay in obtaining the latest evaluation, which isn’t expected until late April, Pinkard’s public defender, Elise Myer, said during the Thursday hearing that he should be released for outpatient mental health services.

Pinkard’s state of mental health continues to deteriorate the longer he’s in jail without getting the help he needs, she said.

An earlier evaluation when he was taken to the state mental health hospital in Pueblo last summer found Pinkard was not competent to stand trial, Myer noted.

“This is a difficult situation, and his incarceration continues to decompensate his mental health,” she said. “I do have concerns that he’s not doing well, and his incarceration is symptomatic and has caused that in large part.”

Pinkard, speaking on his own behalf via video conference from the jail, said he won’t cause any problems if allowed out of the jail to receive outpatient services, and that he doesn’t want to abandon his daughter.

That reference to his child was enough to prompt Assistant District Attorney Ben Sollars to ask the court to make a quick ruling denying Pinkard’s release.

“That’s literally the reason he’s in jail,” Sollars said, noting that any release from jail would likely be direct to the state hospital in Pueblo in any case, and not into public.

The victims in the case also asked the court to keep Pinkard in jail. Judge Lynch agreed.

“It’s unfortunate that he’s not being evaluated (any sooner),” Lynch said. “But there’s no reason to release him out into the community. There’s too much of a risk.”

The matter was continued until May 5, in hopes that the evaluation is completed by April 29, as indicated by state officials.