People v. Ralls

The Alton police answered a call from the defendant’s landlady at 3 A.M. on January 25, 1974. They took the defendant into custody and detained her at the police station until 4 P.M. when Dr. Edward Mulvill conducted an examination. Dr. Mulvill completed a certificate attached to a petition which had been filled out by Billy Lawrence of the Alton Police Department. The petition in the Circuit Court of Madison County was for hospitalization, alleging that the defendant was a person in need of mental treatment as defined in section 1 — 11 of the Mental Health Code. The defendant was taken to…