MANKATO — A man with a history of knife threats or assaults faces additional charges in Mankato ahead of a Wednesday civil commitment hearing.
Ricky Lee Mays, 50, of Mankato, was charged with two felonies for assault and one felony for violent threats Monday in Blue Earth County District Court. The charges allege he pulled a knife out on a man downtown Saturday and thrust it at him.
Mays was previously charged after a similar alleged incident in March 2024 when a neighbor accused him of slashing a knife at him. In July a court-ordered examiner found Mays was incompetent to proceed in the case due to mental illness.
The finding put his criminal charges on hold and began a process in which Blue Earth County was to conduct a screening on Mays and decide whether to petition for him to be civilly committed. A civil commitment is when the court orders someone to receive mental health treatment.
Court records filed on July 27 show the county is recommending civil commitment for Mays, describing it as necessary to ensure he “receives proper psychiatric care and to prevent harm to himself or others in the community.”
In addition to the March and July assault allegations, the petition for commitment notes Mays has a pending violent threats case related to an April 9 incident. Mays reportedly threatened to kill a man at a Mankato bus shelter.
He had at least eight previous convictions for either assault or violent threats between 2019 and 2022, according to the petition.
Mays remained in custody at the county jail as of Monday evening. His civil commitment hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.
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