Competency restored in Baker County robbery case involving Huntington man

Justin Dean Bridwell’s Baker County robbery case has cleared a major procedural hurdle: he has been found capable of assisting in his own defense, allowing the case to move forward after months of mental-health-related delay. Bridwell, 37, of Huntington, is accused of taking two vehicles from a resident near Durkee on Feb. 23, 2025, in a case that Baker County prosecutors say involved a companion who brandished a gun and threatened to kill the resident.

The competency ruling does not decide whether Bridwell is guilty or innocent. It means the court has determined he can now work with his lawyer, understand the charges and take part in the defense, which matters for victims, prosecutors and the pace of the case. Instead of remaining on hold while treatment issues were sorted out, the matter can return to the usual criminal process, including further hearings and, if it is not resolved by plea, trial preparation.

A Baker County grand jury indicted Bridwell in late February 2025 on four felony counts and one misdemeanor: first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, coercion, unauthorized use of a vehicle and third-degree theft. In Oregon, first-degree robbery is a Class A felony, and a conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 months under Measure 11. That penalty gives the case added weight for everyone involved, especially because the robbery allegation has already stretched on for more than a year.

Court records show Bridwell was released from the Baker County Jail on April 23, 2025, then missed a June 4 hearing before being picked up in Union County and returned to the jail on June 11, 2025. He has been held on $125,000 bail, with release possible by posting 10 percent. His attorney filed notice on Feb. 3, 2026, raising concerns that Bridwell was unfit to proceed, and by March 9 he was awaiting transfer to the Oregon State Hospital for competency-restoration treatment in Salem.

The alleged accomplice has not been arrested. Baker County Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Spaulding said there was not enough corroboration yet to make that arrest. Investigators also said Bridwell’s mother reported that he had mentioned working for someone who would give him a car shortly before the incident. With the competency issue now resolved, the case can return to the robbery allegations themselves and continue through the Baker County court system.