LARNED — Michael E.G. Reynolds has been transferred from the Pawnee County Jail to Osawatomie State Hospital to begin a court-ordered 90-day competency restoration. That transfer took place on July 22. He can be held there for up to 90 days.

It has been more than two years since Reynolds was arrested following the fatal shooting of Dr. Tomas Garza at a rural location near Larned on March 30, 2024.

In February of 2026, Senior District Judge Nancy Parrish, following a teleconference hearing, ruled that Reynolds was not competent to stand trial and ordered he undergo competency restoration treatment at a state mental health facility for a maximum of 90 days.

Now, nearly six months later, that treatment has begun. Kansas has been dealing with a backlog of cases based on a lack of bed space at treatment centers. Several hundred defendants have remained jailed, waiting for services at Larned State Hospital and other state facilities.

The result is that Reynolds has remained in the Pawnee County Jail and the trial for the charges has been placed on hold. In February, Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett said, “Effectively our hands are tied on this. We really have no way of knowing how long this stage will take to play out; we can’t even estimate when we might be looking at the calendar to set a court date for trial.”

The recent development of Reynolds being transferred to Osawatomie has now, somewhat, put that clock back into motion. His treatment there is to last no more than 90 days. It is assumed that when that treatment is complete Reynolds will be transferred back to the Pawnee County Jail where he has been held since March of 2024.