Alzheimer's Patient Jailed After Being Declared Incompetent For Trial

A Green country woman is thankful, now that her father is going to be released from the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita and moved to a VA hospital in Claremore.

He was arrested in March of 2021 for having a stolen car, but his daughter said he has Alzheimer’s and thought the car was his.

He was declared incompetent to stand trial and sent to Vinita, until his daughter contacted News On 6 to investigate.

Jack Coppola’s daughter said it’s a huge injustice that her father was sent to a facility that deals with the mentally ill, instead of a nursing home. Now with all these months away from his family, she’s worried his condition has gotten much worse.

Jack is 67-years-old and his family said he’s been diagnosed with late-stage Alzheimer's.

Jack is a veteran of both the Navy and Army. His daughter said while serving in the Army, he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

All of that is hard enough for a family. "I love you dad and thank you for being who you are,” said Autumn Coppola, Daughter.

But when they heard he got arrested in someone else’s car, just because he wanted a hamburger and shake, they were sure the judge and DA would send him to a memory care facility.

Even the officer wrote in his arrest report that Jack didn’t understand why he was pulled over or where he’d last stopped.

"You could obviously tell that something was wrong,” said Autumn.

But, instead, Jack sat in a jail cell in Stillwater for months, then he was declared incompetent to stand trial and sent to the Oklahoma Forensic center.

"We can't just go and visit when we want to, you know,” said Autumn.

For months, the department of mental health sent the exact same form letter to the judge, saying Jack was receiving medication, group therapy, and competency restoration treatment.

His daughter said it’s ridiculous because he was never going to become competent, because he’s not mentally ill, he has Alzheimer’s.

"This is a problem. This is a problem,” said Autumn. "He has declined greatly. He can't even speak a full sentence."

She said while in the Forensic Center, her dad had a heart attack and got COVID. He was hospitalized for both, but she wasn’t told any of this until afterward.

"My dad couldn't tell me. My dad can't tell me. He can't call me. I don't get any communication anymore about anything,” said Autumn.

She said she never heard from Jack’s public defender. When News On 6's Ashlyn Brothers called, he never got back to her either.

The Dept. of Mental Health agreed Jack was likely in the wrong facility, but said it was up to DHS. The Payne County DA said she was at the mercy of the DHS. DHS hasn’t gotten back with us.

After weeks of calls, a Payne County judge decided on Dec. 12 to release Jack to a VA nursing home in Claremore.

This was his daughter’s reaction when we told her. “I appreciate all the help and everything that you guys have given,” said Autumn. “Thank you, guys. I knew if anybody could, I knew you guys could.”