A Nye County School District psychologist who was arrested earlier this year on charges of possessing and producing child pornography has reportedly been deemed competent to stand trial in the case following a mental health evaluation.
Perry Allison Hood, 69, of Tonopah was reportedly found competent to stand trial and aid in his own defense following a court-ordered mental health evaluation at Lakes Crossing, a state mental health facility in Sparks.
Deputy District Attorney John Friel said Hood was expected to be back in court Tuesday for a status check in the case following his return.
The prosecutor added that he wasn’t surprised by the result of the evaluation.
Hood was originally arrested on Jan. 22 following a tip to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office from detectives in Peoria, Ariz., that they were working on a child pornography case in their jurisdiction with ties to Tonopah.
According to the Peoria Police Department, Hood allegedly lured a young female out to a desolate desert area in Arizona and photographed her in provocative clothing.
After they returned to her residence, the victim told her parents about the incident and they went to the police to report Hood’s alleged behavior.
The two agencies then teamed up to serve a search warrant at Hood’s home where they reportedly discovered more than 90 pages of explicit photos depicting minor females in various states of undress in addition to other photos of what appeared to be a young girl blindfolded and tied to Hood’s bed.
Hood reportedly told police at the time of the search the photos were research he was conducting to better understand young victims of sexual abuse.
He was arrested on 21 counts of possession of child pornography and booked into the Tonopah Detention Center in lieu of $1 million bail.
He was subsequently charged by the district attorney’s office on Jan. 28 with use of a minor in producing pornography or as subject of sexual portrayal in performance and four counts of possession of child pornography.
During a Feb. 6 court appearance, Hood’s court-appointed attorney asked that Hood be sent for a mental health evaluation. The motion was granted and on March 19 Hood was ordered to Lakes Crossing for an evaluation.
Hood is scheduled to be back in court Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Tonopah.