Mental Testing Sought After Cellmate Death

A judge Friday agreed to postpone the arraignment of a 27-year-old man accused of the beating-related death of his cellmate, whom the prisoner allegedly attacked because he flushed the toilet too much.

Citing concerns about his client’s mental competency, defense attorney Jorge A. Alvarado requested the delay to allow a psychiatrist time to evaluate the suspect, Alan J. Schaffer of Sacramento.

Superior Court Judge Allan Steele set both the arraignment and a mental competency hearing for Sept. 29.

Schaffer is being held in Ventura County Jail on $250,000 bail.

Authorities arrested Schaffer Sept. 1 on suspicion of murder after 57-year-old Thomas L. Pollizzi of Palm Springs died from complications following a beating.

During Friday’s court proceeding, Schaffer appeared confused, asking Alvarado if he was going to be released after the court session. While attorneys conversed with the judge, the defendant, who was wearing a blue jail suit and had a scraggly beard, blurted out sentence fragments and seemed unaware of his whereabouts.

“City of Ventura, right?” Schaffer asked court officials and spectators.

Pollizzi, who was serving a 300-day sentence for stalking a former girlfriend, was hospitalized on Aug. 14 for one week following an alleged altercation between the two inmates in their jail cell.

Schaffer, who was originally jailed on suspicion of car theft, pleaded not guilty to assault charges. Meanwhile, authorities readmitted Pollizzi to Ventura County Medical Center on Aug. 24 after he continued to complain of pain.

According to the Ventura County coroner’s office, Pollizzi, who had a history of heart problems and diabetes, died early Sept. 1 from a blood clot stemming from blunt injuries received to the head.

Donald G. Glynn, senior deputy district attorney, said Schaffer would be sent to a high-security mental hospital if he is deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Alvarado said his client is not now able to “rationally assist” him with the case. The defense attorney said he does not know why Schaffer was jailed with the general inmate population.

“He shouldn’t have been there,” Alvarado said.