Missing Hoggle Kids: Prosecutor's Case Dealt a Setback

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ROCKVILLE, MD — The legal wrangling over a schizophrenic Montgomery County mother accused of taking her two young children from their home 19 months ago will not resume in court Monday as planned.

Judge Eugene Wolfe has denied a request by prosecutors to hire a psychiatrist to conduct an independent competency evaluation of Catherine Hoggle, accused of hiding and possibly endangering her children, Sarah and Jacob. She was the last person known to have seen them 19 months ago and refuses to tell relatives, including their father, Troy Turner, what became of the youngsters.

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy last month won a request for an April 25 hearing exploring Catherine Hoggle’s mental state. But with the judge’s new ruling, Monday’s hearing has been canceled.

While doctors say she is not capable of facing criminal action, her mother, Lindsey Hoggle, and Turner say they believe Catherine understands her situation based on their conversations with her.

McCarthy had planned to question Hoggle about her competency since she has been receiving treatment. He wanted to challenge the doctors at the state hospital and hire an independent doctor to evaluate Hoggle’s competency.

But the judge denied that request.

“The defendant is being evaluated by a team of medical professionals at Clifton T. Perkins State Hospital and their opinion of the defendant’s competency has been unanimous,” wrote Judge Eugene Wolfe in his ruling. “The defendant is undergoing 24-hour supervision by staff at Perkins and has a staff member with her at all times. There is nothing to suggest that the staff at Perkins are performing the evaluation in a manner inconsistent with the medical standard proscribed to perform competency evaluations.”

»See the court documents on The Washington Post website

Turner continues to hunt for signs of his daughter, Sarah, now 5, and son Jacob, 3. Authorities accuse the siblings’ mother of taking them from the family home in September 2014, and suspect she killed the youngsters.

Spokesman Ramon Korionoff of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s office said there will be other times to challenge Hoggle’s competency status to stand trial.

“For the sake of Jacob and Sarah we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to uncover the truth about the fate of those children,” said Korionoff told Montgomery Community Media.

The setback left Turner angry and frustrated. “It’s already bad enough,” he told the media outlet.

Catherine Hoggle of Clarksburg is a schizophrenic who reportedly refused to stay on her medication. While she says the children are safe, she has not shared any information on their whereabouts, other than to say they are safe.

Find updates on the FindSarahFindJacob Facebook page.

Jacob was last seen with his mother on Sept. 7, 2014, in Darnestown or Clarksburg; Sarah was last seen with Hoggle on the morning of Sept. 8, 2014. Catherine’s family says she is paranoid and was making plans to leave the area, so she gave the young children to someone for safekeeping.

And while the legal battle goes on, Turner and supporters continue to look for signs of the children. A search in early April of Goshen Recreational Park in Germantown yielded nothing.

SEE ALSO:

• Missing Hoggle Kids: Is Mom 'Trying to Work System'?
• Missing Hoggle Kids: Mom Again Found Not Competent to Stand Trial
• Missing Hoggle Kids: Hope Alive One Year After Disappearance
• 'Mystery Must End' Says Missing Hoggle Kids' Grandmother

Turner’s supporters posted on Facebook asking that people gather peacefully outside of the Montgomery County courthouse on April 25 to show support for Sarah and Jacob. Even though the hearing has been canceled, organizers said the demonstration will go on; new details on the time and place have not been released.

“Thank you for the amazing support we have received so far, but this isn't over until those babies are home,” the family wrote on Facebook in early April. “Let’s show the justice system that this isn't just a family wanting answers. It is an entire community.”

Family members ask anyone in the Clarksburg area who may have seen Sarah and Jacob to message the Facebook page, call or text (301) 549-9044 or submit a tip on the website www.findsarahfindjacob.com. Tips can be made anonymously.

Timeline of Events

On Sept. 7, 2014, Catherine Hoggle borrowed her father’s gray 2012 Nissan Rogue SUV and said she was picking up pizza for Jacob. She returned three hours later without the boy or pizza and told her parents she had left Jacob at a playmate’s house.

On Sept. 8, Hoggle left home with Sarah and told Turner she was taking the child to a day-care center. That afternoon when Turner asked about the children’s whereabouts, Hoggle would not tell him where the children were. Both Hoggle and Turner set off for the police station, but stopped at a Chick-Fil-A near the Germantown Transit Center where Hoggle left the restaurant without Turner noticing and disappeared.

On Sept. 12, 2014, Hoggle was found and arrested in Germantown.

»Photo of Sarah and Jacob Hoggle, courtesy of the FindSarahFindJacob Facebook page