Man who crashed into Hingham Apple store was free on bail. What changed this time in court
PLYMOUTH − The man charged with murder after his SUV slammed into the glass facade of the Apple Store at the Derby Street Shops in Hingham last year is being held without bail and will be sent to a state Department of Mental Health facility to be evaluated.
The man, 53-year-old Hingham resident Bradley Rein, was in court Wednesday on a repeat charge of not keeping his GPS monitor charged.
He had been free on $100,000 bail following the crash, which killed Kevin Bradley, 65, of Wayne, New Jersey, and injured more than a dozen others on Nov. 21, 2022.
Rein was indicted in March on a charge of second-degree murder, motor vehicle homicide by reckless driving, reckless driving, four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and 18 counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
As part of the pretrial conditions of his release, Rein was ordered to wear a GPS monitor.
According to the Plymouth County district attorney's office, Rein allowed his GPS to lose power Friday, Dec. 22, which sends a notice to both the wearer and the police department.
He was taken into custody that day after attempts to contact him by phone failed, authorities said. It was not clear during Wednesday's bail revocation hearing whether police found him at home or another location.
He was held in the Plymouth County Correctional Facility after his arrest.
Doctor describes Rein as disoriented
After a brief sidebar involving Judge William Sullivan and Rein's lawyer, Joan Fund, Sullivan ordered Rein to be evaluated before the hearing resumed at 3 p.m. The hourlong interview and evaluation was conducted by court-designated forensic psychologist Karen Towers.
Towers said Rein appeared generally disoriented and was confused about the day of the week, the year and why he was in court. Fund was present for the evaluation, Towers said.
"He said that he had a court date on Tuesday that was previously scheduled, and he thought it was held over and then said he thought he had a trial on Wednesday," Towers said.
She said he seemed confused about what happened over the weekend and at one point said he was going to help someone fix a lock Monday but ended up in the Hingham police station. He was still in jail at the time.
"He had a lot of difficulty making sense of what's been going on with him for the past week," Towers told the court.
Rein had struggles with alcohol, but not mental health
Towers said Rein told her he has had longstanding alcohol abuse issues and had sought treatment several times over the years. The only mental health-related medication he said he took in his life was for anxiety related to his efforts to stop drinking and smoking marijuana. Rein said he is not currently on any such medications, she said.
Towers said Rein was not emotional during their talk.
"His affect was somewhat flat, and he didn't show a lot of emotional expression," she said. "He spoke somewhat slowly, and his movements were somewhat slow," she said.
At the heart of the issue was whether Rein could properly comprehend the conditions of his release or even the charges themselves.
Towers suggested his mental state might affect his ability to stand trial.
"Based on all of the available information, I do feel that there are significant concerns with regard to his competence to stand trial at the present time, particularly due to his confusion, his reported lack of awareness of this current situation and what led to him being placed in custody," she said.
Prosecutors sought secure holding at Bridgewater State Hospital
Prosecutors pushed for Rein's bail to be revoked and suggested he should be evaluated at Bridgewater State Hospital, which has strong security.
Towers said Rein had been in the Hingham community and had not shown any behavioral issues that had threatened anyone's safety. She also said Rein did not seem suicidal. Those factors combined, she said, suggested that he could be safely treated at an inpatient facility operated by the state.
Sullivan denied both requests from the DA's office and scheduled a review hearing for 2 p.m. Jan. 16.
Rein was taken into custody for the same GPS monitor-related offense this past September.
At that time, the state moved to revoke Rein’s bail and requested that he be held. Judge Diane Freniere ordered Rein’s bail revoked for 60 days. He was released around Thanksgiving, a prosecutor said.
More: Here's why the Hingham driver in the Apple Store crash was back in court
Chaotic scene at Derby Street Shops
Prosecutors say Rein was behind the wheel of his 2019 Toyota 4Runner when it crashed through the front window of the store Nov. 21, 2022, reaching the back wall and trapping people inside.
Investigators said Rein was accelerating the SUV up to 60 mph in the five seconds before the crash and there was no indication of brake use during that time. Rein told police the crash was caused by his foot becoming stuck on the accelerator pedal.
More: Apple Store driver claims gas pedal got stuck. That's not what officials think.
Rein told police he was at Derby Street Shops to repair a lens in his eyeglasses, which he was not wearing at the time of the crash. He was given an alcohol breath test at the police station that detected no alcohol in his blood.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Bradley Rein back in court for uncharged GPS after Apple Store crash
