After more than a week in solitary, new plea deal offered to Heber veteran in mental health crisis

Frederick "Erick" Holmes, a SF Green Beret, on an overseas mission in Iraq. Photo: courtesy the Holmes family

Erick Holmes awaits a hearing scheduled for July 9 as his wife makes an appeal for help to VA Secretary Douglas Collins

HEBER CITY, Utah — After more than a week in solitary confinement at the Wasatch County Jail, Frederick “Erick” Holmes—a decorated Green Beret and Iraq and Afghanistan veteran—has been offered another plea deal by prosecutors, according to his wife, Dr. Neysa Holmes.

But Neysa says she’s concerned that Erick, who suffers from a service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI), Operator Syndrome, and a longstanding addiction to prescription stimulants, is mentally unfit to understand or fulfill the agreement.

“This isn’t about leniency,” Neysa said. “It’s about reality. He doesn’t have the mental capacity to meet the conditions of these deals because the underlying mental health issues remain untreated.”

Holmes has faced a string of charges stemming from multiple incidents this year, including felony counts of aggravated assault and domestic violence. Court documents show those charges were previously reduced in a plea agreement finalized after his February arrest.

“In that first set of charges, every felony was reduced,” Neysa explained. “The final plea included two misdemeanors—one for violating a protective order and one for domestic violence.”

Erick was released following that agreement but was arrested again in May after another mental health episode that left Neysa injured. Then, on June 2, he was taken into custody after leading police on a high-speed chase on I-80, which Neysa describes as a suicide attempt. The new plea offer comes in connection with that incident.

As of this week, Holmes remains in solitary confinement, where he has not received consistent mental health treatment. Neysa says the long-term isolation has only deepened his psychological instability and calls into question the wisdom of moving forward with any legal resolution absent adequate care.

“The system keeps offering plea deals without solving the root issue,” she said. “And without treatment, we’re just going to keep repeating this cycle—until something worse happens.”

Studies show proper treatment is crucial

According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, a medical library operated by the U.S. federal government, veterans suffering from untreated traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or Operator Syndrome often face a complex mix of neurological, psychological, and physical challenges. Research underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach to care—one that includes neurology, psychiatry, sleep medicine, pain management, and other specialties.

It goes on to say that early detection and treatment of TBIs are critical to preventing long-term cognitive decline and serious mental health outcomes, yet many veterans still go without timely intervention.

In particular, special operations veterans—those most likely to suffer from Operator Syndrome—”intensive immersion programs are needed to meet the unique needs” of their unique exposures and service histories.

An urgent plea to the VA

Holmes, who has a 100% VA disability rating, was denied a mental health evaluation after being arrested in February by Fourth District Judge Jennifer Mabey. During a hearing after Holmes’ June 2 arrest, Judge Mabey agreed to transfer Holmes to The Chateux, a VA-rated facility, for treatment but he was dismissed after 25 hours for using offensive language, discharge papers stated. He was sent back to Wasatch County Jail.

Later, during a June 25 hearing, Judge Mabey authorized another transfer—this time to Salt Lake Behavioral Health. Holmes was meant to be admitted to the hospital’s PTSD unit, but was mistakenly placed in an addiction treatment program and expelled after three days for what the facility described as misconduct, discharge papers said.

Neysa, who holds a PhD in Psychology and is the author of “A Soldier’s Soldier,” submitted a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas  Collins on July 3, calling for the federal agency to take custody of her husband and transfer him to a locked VA facility.

Both treatment facilities, Neysa claims, removed him for symptoms directly related to his service-connected conditions, including paranoia, disorganized speech, and behavioral outbursts. The letter also outlined how repeated care denials, failed community placements, and undertrained staff have compounded the mental health crisis of her husband.

“Instead of receiving stabilizing care, he was retraumatized and discharged without a safe transition plan,” Neysa wrote. “His condition worsened following expulsion.”

Holmes’ service-connected rating for both PTSD and TBI, place him under the protection of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. He is also eligible for care under VA authority in lieu of incarceration, particularly when state systems are incapable of delivering appropriate treatment or when the veteran has been criminalized as a result of their disabilities, according to the act.

The letter to Secretary Collins made the case that as community care VA-approved facilities, both institutions have a duty to uphold trauma-informed practices and comply with federal anti-discrimination laws like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

“By expelling a disabled veteran for symptoms of his condition, both facilities violated federal protections,” the letter stated.

Utah VA in crisis

In late February, the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City paused all new admissions to its inpatient behavioral health unit, citing staff shortages—leaving veterans like Erick with nowhere to turn but jail.

A report published by the Salt Lake Tribune said officials at the Veterans Affairs hospital have not explained why or how long the move will last.

“Right now, we are diverting patients” to other facilities, VA spokesperson Jeremy Laird told the Tribune’s reporter, Robert Gehrke. “We aren’t accepting new patients.”

Inpatient services at the medical center were available for veterans requiring rehabilitation or those facing an acute mental health crisis, according to its website.

On February 13, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating broad job cuts across federal agencies. A subsequent memo from VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek outlined plans to reduce the department’s workforce to under 400,000 employees—requiring the elimination of 80,000 positions nationwide.

At the time, Gerkhe’s report stated, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins stated that the staffing reductions would not affect veterans’ health care or benefits.

“The system has failed him at every turn,” Neysa said. “We’re not asking for special treatment—just humane, trauma-informed care before it’s too late.”

Holmes is scheduled to appear in court again on July 9.