A man who was found not criminally responsible for stabbing a police officer near Keremeos in 2022 will remain at a 24-7 monitored care facility according to a recently published decision.
According to the Review Board's Oct. 2, 2024, written reasons, Floyd Raphael, 40, continues to pose a threat to the public if unmonitored. He currently resides in a facility run by the John Howard Society in Penticton.
The 2022 incident was caused after Raphael stopped taking his medication, and had also started consuming cannabis, which led to a rapid deterioration of his mental health due to his prior mental health conditions.
At the time he was living with his mother and brother on Lower Similkameen Indian Band Land, and it was his sister living next door who called the police after he became manic.
The officer attempted to calm Raphael down but was unsuccessful. Raphael then ran inside his home and grabbed a knife before stabbing the officer.
Despite the injury, the officer was able to arrest and handcuff Raphael before driving to the Keremeos hospital.
The Review Board's Decision states that Raphael requires close supervision due to a lack of insight into factors that could trigger a relapse.
He had previously been assessed with a number of different mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, permanent brain damage, and below-average intellectual functioning.
The diagnosis of brain damage he received in 2000 allowed him access to Community Living British Columbia services and funded residences, which he lived in intermittently between returning to the family's Ashnola home.
Since the 2022 incident, he has been in care and under medication has shown a remission of any manic symptoms, and is currently transitioning to a new care team and psychiatrist.
The 2024 decision states that Raphael has settled into his new home in Penticton with two pet dogs and that he has enjoyed supervised visits with his mother at her Ashnola home.
It also states that Raphael moving back to Ashnola is not an option in the future, as the LSIB council indicated he is not welcome to return.
His case will return to the Review Board in October 2025 for further consideration.
