State Considering Longer Suspension Of Robey

LANSING - SiAte Civil Service and personnel officialifnet today to consider a request for a 10-day extensión of the . weeklong suspension of Dr. Ames Robey from his post as director of the Forensic Center at Ypsilanti State Hospital. Dr. Donald Smith, acting director of the state Department of Mental Health, sent a letter asking for the extensión to state Civil Service Director Richard Ross. Smith asked for the longer suspension to allow more time for a probé into Robey's performance at the center. Smith announced Robey's suspension last week. He said at the time the probe was concentrating on Robey's handling of the Gary Addison Taylor case. Taylor was released from the center cm convalescent leave in 1972 and later ' I J ' ed to show ufrfor treatment. He is charged with killing a Seattle, Wash., woman, and pólice say he has to three other murders in Michigan and Texas. The five-member team, headed by Dr. Thomas Schmitz, told Smith more time was needed to examine "voluminous" material, according to Joseph McCall, Communications officer for the Mental Health Department. The team's probé has gone beyond just the Taylor case, according to McCall. He said team members are checking the center's records and policies on releases of many of the center's patients in order to learn whether Taylor's case was handled any differently. The team also is checking center policies in order to measure the Taylor situation, McCall I said. "The on-site examination of documents and records at the Forensic Center and interviews with administrative and cal staff is continuing," Smith said in a statement Tuesday. McCall said today the team has had "no prqblems at all conducting the I vestigation" at the center. Staff I bers have been giving the state I tigative team "very fine cooperation," - according to McCall. A condition of Robey's suspension was that he remain off the premises unless requested to appear there by Smith personally. McCall said he does not think Smith has asked Robey to come to the center, and he said it is "not contemplated" at this stage of the I Sfstatement yesterday said he asked Ross to suspend Robey until June I 2 which would tack another 10 days on to the weeklong suspension announced I la''Theyk'(the team) feit that they had iii-imarMW not completed their work," McCall said today "They did not feel that they had gone far enough to give Dr. Smith an assessment." . . . Robey has defended his action in the taylor case. He has contended that several psychiatrists agree with hun that Taylor is not mentally UI. Under new mental health restrictions which have taken effect only recently, the center , cannot keep a person confined unless a panel of psychiatrists finds the person mentally ill and commitment is ordered by a civil court. I ... ..- -i- aggffii