Craig Donnelly, charged with stalking Olympian Emily Infeld, declared unfit to stand trial

A federal judge on Thursday ordered a man charged with stalking Olympic runner Emily Infeld to be hospitalized and receive mental health treatment after an evaluation determined he wasn't presently competent to stand trial.

Craig Donnelly, who was arrested in June and charged with felony cyberstalking and violation of an interstate protection order, will remain in custody and get treatment, including possible medication, in a facility for up to four months to see if his mental condition improves to a point where he can participate in a trial. If not, treatment will continue and Donnelly will be reassessed later.

Donnelly suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2016, after which friends and acquaintances say his behavior changed. Infeld first reported Donnelly to law enforcement in summer 2018, and for the next three years said she endured on-and-off online harassment from Donnelly, who continued to pursue her after she obtained a protective order.

Though the two had never met, Donnelly moved in summer 2020 to an apartment about two miles from Infeld's home near Portland, Ore. In one LinkedIn post, he threatened to kill her.

According to the order from U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon issued Thursday, psychologist and certified forensic evaluator Michelle R. Guyton determined in a Nov. 4 report that Donnelly can "factually understand his case but, as a result of his delusional disorder, is presently unable to rationally understand his case or assist counsel." Guyton suggested that Donnelly be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if medication would help him, noting that he has agreed to take medication in the past and shown some immediate benefit.

"I'm happy that he's getting treatment and I really hope it helps him," Infeld said.

Donnelly's attorney, assistant federal public defender Robert Hamilton, declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Portland.

The federal cyberstalking charge Donnelly faces carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of one year. Interstate violation of a protective order also carries a five-year maximum, with no mandatory minimum.

There is no set deadline by which the court must make a decision and Donnelly could be given more time after an initial assessment. If treatment does not restore his competency to participate in a trial, or negotiate a plea, Donnelly could be civilly committed to a long-term treatment setting and charges could be dismissed.