Skyrocketing medical costs, ‘intolerable situation’ force Farha to drop murder charges against Quincy man

QUINCY — A Quincy man facing three counts of murder since 2019 had been hospitalized in Blessing Hospital since the week of May 15, but he was released Monday as the charges against him were dropped.

Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha says Carlos Williams is a free man because the cost to keep him hospitalized for 30 days had climbed to more than $200,000. He said he couldn’t discuss Williams’ medical condition.

“But what I can tell you is if there was any thought on our part that he could become a threat to anybody in the public in terms of him being a murderer, we would not have done this,” Farha said Monday night. “He can’t walk. He can’t even get up.”

A nolle prosequi is the formal entry of record by the prosecuting attorney who declares he or she is unwilling to prosecute a case. It is not a final disposition of the case, and it will not bar another prosecution for the same offense.

Williams, 59, is accused of killing Orlando Smith, 20, by strangulation between May 27-30, 2019. Smith’s body was found May 30, 2019, in the 200 block of Koch’s Lane. Williams was arrested Nov. 19, 2019, when he appeared in court in an unrelated case. Williams could have received 20 years to life in prison if found guilty. 

Williams last appeared in Adams County Circuit Court on March 7 when he was represented by Nick Rober and Mark Wykoff, Sr. A proposed order, filed by Wykoff on June 23, said counsel met with Williams on June 20 at Blessing Hospital.

“A defendant is unfit to stand trial when, because of a mental or physical condition, he or she is unable to understand the nature and purpose of the proceedings or assist in the defense,” the order read.

Farha said Williams had been “nothing but trouble” during his stint in Blessing Hospital.

“He was very, very rude to nursing staffs. If he was in a different situation, we would have charged him with at least two to three more crimes, including how he treated the guards who had to stay there and watch him and how he treated the nurses,” Farha said. “He was touching them inappropriately. He was spitting in the face of our guards. He was just completely uncooperative. This situation had become intolerable.”

He said the beginning of the trial was at least four months away. Williams had been set to go to trial on seven other occasions since his arrest.

Williams could be brought back to prison, and Farha says he intends to do that if Williams ever gets better.

“There’s nothing to suggest he’s going to cooperate and get better, he said. “After he was released, he actually called Blessing Hospital again, and Blessing Hospital can’t refuse treatment. If he doesn’t cooperate, he’s in a very dire situation health-wise. If he doesn’t start cooperating, he’s going to die very quickly.”

Farha said he called Patrick Orlando Smith, Orlando Smith’s father, to inform him Monday of the decision to release Williams. He said if Williams were kept in the hospital, five or six county officials could lose their jobs because the budget has been “ruined.”

“I feel for the family,” Farha said. “We called them in before we did anything. I told him I am the person making this decision. I represent the interests of the county. It was not a pleasant conversation. There may be some people who blame me, but I hope they also will understand that everything we do is our best judgment.”

Farha said Williams’ Medicaid bill had recently passed $1 million, and the county had to pay for two private attorneys because every attorney in the Adams County Public Defender’s office had conflicts of interest. Farha said he didn’t want to have to ask for a tax increase to help pay for medical costs.

“We have to manage the resources we have,” he said. “Adams County has a lot of things on its plate right now, and I would rather see somebody who cannot be cannot be a threat to the public be let out on the street. Well, he doesn’t even have a wheelchair, so I don’t know how he’s going to get around or anything. But this thing had the capabilities of running up such a huge bill.

“If he’s not going to cooperate, if he’s refusing medical treatment like he did today, if there are things he was going to have to do two or three times a week and he refused to go do them, then the (Adams County) sheriff’s department and the jail administration did not want him there. …  The bottom line is that’s my job. It’s my decision.”

Attempts to reach Patrick Orlando Smith were unsuccessful Monday night.

Williams had been in the Adams County Jail on a $5 million bond for 43 months without receiving a trial before he was sent to Blessing Hospital.