Inmate gets 2 more years in stabbing

A former Pelican Bay State Prison inmate who stabbed his cellmate in the neck with a pencil will be incarcerated for an additional two years, a Del Norte County jury has decided.

Robert Soto, who was originally convicted of selling heroin, stabbed his cellmate in 1996.

He was found not guilty due to insanity and was sent to Patton State Hospital, a mental institution in San Bernardino County.

According to Del Norte County District Attorney Mike Riese, Soto’s doctors said that he was still violent and not fit to be released.

“We have to look at whether he still suffers from a disease, and whether he is still a threat to the public,” Riese said. “The jury responded yes, that Soto was still dangerous.”

Riese pointed to the fact that Soto has had more than four violent altercations over the last couple years, which does not demonstrate rehabilitation.

Now Soto will be spending another two years at Patton State Hospital.