A Buckley man accused of shooting his neighbor’s home with a pellet gun, owning an illegal firearm and possessing illegal explosives, has been found incompetent to stand trial and has been ordered into outpatient treatment before his court case can continue.

On March 20, Pierce County were deputies dispatched to a report of a house being shot at. When they arrived on scene, they found pellets in the siding of a home; no one was injured, as no one was home.

Witnesses told law enforcement that incidents like this were becoming a regular issue. One added that Linder showed her what appeared to be “black and had round marble sized round things” that she believed were explosive devices.

Deputies initially contacted Linder by phone, who first said he was fine and nothing was going on, but later added that his neighbors were trying to “microwave” him, among other things that were incoherent.

Linder eventually agreed to leave the house and was detained.

After getting a search warrant, deputies allegedly found loaded AR-15 rifle with a 8-inch barrel and the serial number painted over as well as 14 CO2 cartridges, some empty but others filled with gunpowder and additional fragmentation.

Linder was officially charged March 21 with unlawful possession of an incendiary device, unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, and malicious mischief in the third degree, but a judge ordered him to undergo a competency evaluation before his case continued.

The April 6 competency evaluation found Linder to have an unspecified delusional disorder and an amphetamine-type substance use disorder.

As such, the Pierce County Superior Court has ordered Linder to undergo outpatient treatment with the Department of Social and Health Services for 90 days while also living in a recovery home. Another competency evaluation is scheduled for May 31.

Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office public information officer Adam Faber noted that they were “in opposition to his release to an Outpatient Competency Restoration Program”.

Also against Linder’s release into an outpatient treatment program was Susan Barfknecht, whose home Linger allegedly shot at.

“I am completely disgusted, discouraged and disappointed (but certainly not shocked) by the turn of events with this case,” she said, noting that his release into an unsecured sober home makes her fear for her family’s safety, given that he can “walk away from [the home] at any time”. “If this state, and the entire country, would focus more on mental health I do believe there would be less shooting, less crime, less stress in our lives. Maybe all of the politicians and people in the industry out there would like to have a neighbor or even a roommate of one of the criminals they release back out into the public.”

Faber noted that Linder does not have to reside at the sober home, but if he wished to live elsewhere, would have to notify a forensic navigator who, in turn, would inform the court; failing to do so would violate the terms of his release.