A review hearing was held for Mark Pavelich on July 1, 2020, in Lake County. The hearing was presided over by Judge Michael J. Cuzzo.
There were no real changes or decisions made at the hearing, said Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken. “It (the hearing) was continued by agreement of the parties. It will be rescheduled after a scheduling conference to be held next week.”
On August 15, 2019, Mark Pavelich, 61, was arrested at his Lutsen home after allegedly assaulting a neighbor with a metal pipe following an afternoon of fishing.
Pavelich accused his neighbor, James T. Miller, 63, of “spiking his beer” as the reason for attacking him. Miller was transferred to the hospital, where he was found to have a bruised kidney, two cracked ribs, and a fractured vertebra.
Mark, a star forward on the 1980 Olympic team that defeated the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” hockey game, was arraigned in District Court in Grand Marais on Monday, August 19, 2019.
During his court appearance Pavelich was charged with four felony counts, second and third-degree assault, for allegedly striking his neighbor with a metal pole. Additionally, he was also charged with having an illegally shortened shotgun whose serial numbers had been filed off.
On October 28, 2019, Judge Cuzzo found Pavelich to be mentally incompetent to stand trial, and he was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. Duluth psychologist Dr. Chris Bowerman and Dr. Jacquiline Buffington each met with Pavelich and examined him and each found Mark to be in need of treatment.
Dr. Jacqueline Buffington found Mark to suffer from “mild neurocognitive disorder” due to traumatic brain injury likely related to a series of head injuries sustained over a lifetime.
After weighing testimony from the two court appointed psychologists, Sixth Judicial Judge Michael Cuzzo found Pavelich to be “mentally ill and dangerous.” He ordered Mark to be civilly committed at a secure state facility in St. Peter, Minnesota.
Leave a Reply