A judge has ruled that a man who is accused of stabbing a police dog is mentally competent to understand court proceedings and set a trial date for Nov. 8.

Criminal proceedings resumed against Dedrick Daknell Jones, 36, after San Diego Superior Court Judge Cindy Davis issued her ruling after reading a psychiatric evaluation done on Jones while in jail.

His lawyer told a judge in July he suspected Jones might not be competent, which resulted in the suspension of criminal proceedings and the psychiatric evaluation.

Jones was living in a tent on a sidewalk in the 3700 block of Riley Street in the Midway District when he had an altercation with a police dog on Dec. 17, 2021. Police officers were responding to a business owner’s complaint about Jones, which his attorney said was unjustified.

Jones is accused of pulling a knife and stabbing Hondo, 2-3 inches in the chest, but the canine made a full recovery and went back on duty 1 1/2 weeks later, according to police.

At the time, Jones was on probation for stabbing another police dog, Titan, who lost 6-8 inches of his colon and had to have 100 stitches to close his wound after an operation in another incident in the Midway District on Jan. 25, 2021.

Jones pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty with a knife and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to a year in jail on two years of probation. In his current case, he is charged with felony assault on a police dog, felony animal cruelty, and brandishing a knife.

Jones remains in jail without bail and has pleaded not guilty to his current case.

Police Chief David Nisleit said after Jones’ second arrest for stabbing a second police dog that “our system must do a better job holding violent offenders accountable.”