Just before it was about to start, the retrial of the man accused of stabbing a police dog in the Midway District was halted on March 22 when the judge wanted the suspect to have a mental competency evaluation.

Dedrick Daknell Jones, 37, was once again acting as his own attorney and was about to start jury selection before San Diego Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz and Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle.

While potential jurors waited outside, Jones’ comments apparently concerned Katz so much that the judge said he wanted him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation in jail and to return before a different judge on May 4 for a ruling over whether he understood court proceedings.

“He(Jones) got pretty upset,” said Biddle. “The court appointed Mr. Jones an attorney and suspended (criminal) proceedings.”

Jones has been evaluated before and was found to be mentally competent, but that was in his first case in 2021 when he pleaded guilty to also stabbing another police dog in the Midway District.

Jones was given a year in jail on terms of two years probation, but he was given credits of 225 days in jail. He was released and living in a tent on a sidewalk in the 3700 block of Riley Street when he had an altercation with another police dog on Dec. 17, 2021.

At his trial, Jones was convicted of brandishing a knife, but jurors deadlocked on charges of assaulting a police dog, animal cruelty and resisting an officer on Nov. 16, 2022. Jurors were about to leave for the Thanksgiving recess and could not continue deliberations.

If convicted of the remaining charges, Jones could face up to 15 years in prison including more time on the previous case because he failed to remain law-abiding.

Jones remains in jail without bail. If he is found to be mentally incompetent, he would be sent to a mental hospital for treatment until he regains his competency.