Maryland forensic services director resigns after contempt ruling over hospital bed shortage
The Baltimore Sun reported that Roskes, 53, resigned from his role overseeing forensic psychiatric services weeks after Rasin's September contempt finding. He was one of five officials cited, along with acting Secretary Dennis Schrader, a deputy secretary and two clinical directors at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center. The department was appealing the finding and planned to move to drop Roskes from the case now that he no longer worked for the state.
In her order, Rasin accused Roskes of misleading explanations about wait-time data and said figures given to the General Assembly minimized the problem and were used to justify not following through on the department's own recommendation to add 100 beds. She also criticized an unwritten policy under which court medical office staff who evaluate defendants had to delay telling judges that individuals were found incompetent, so the department could keep flexibility at the state's maximum-security hospital.
The remaining officials faced a December 31 deadline to fix the bed shortage.
Source: Maryland official held in contempt by judge is out at Health Department — The Baltimore Sun, by Michael Dresser
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