NARROWSBURG, NY — William “Chris” Morris, who was convicted in February 2002 of shooting at a police officer, whom he missed by only a few inches, was due to be released to a residence on August 28. But a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said the residence he applied for did not meet the conditions of his parole.

The spokesperson said the department will continue to review other residences Morris may be able to move into, but as of June 2, no adequate residence had been found.

According to Chris’s wife Jane, the nature of his crime may be making it difficult to locate a place for him, but prison officials have been aware of his release date for some time.

Chris was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2007, although Judge Frank LaBuda said at the time that he was a man who had “fallen through the cracks.”

Jane was an advocate for Chris, and laid the blame for the incident to an advanced case of Lyme disease, which she said had been misdiagnosed and mistreated.

An expert in Lyme disease, Dr. Robert Bransfield, an associate director of psychiatry at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ, said that it’s not uncommon for patients with late-stage Lyme disease to exhibit signs of aggressive behavior. He said that over the years, “There have been quite a few cases where the disease results in homicides, suicides and bizarre, senseless and excessive rage.”

Further, it was revealed at the trial that Chris suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from being shot twice in the stomach while trying to protect his mother during a push-in robbery in Brooklyn. Chris’ lawyer at the time, Stephan Schick, said the Lyme disease, the PTSD and treatment with inappropriate drugs led to Chris’s bizarre behavior and ultimately his stand-off with police.

Chris has been held at the Fishkill Correctional Facility for the past three years, and has worked in the library. Jane said Chris is doing well, although in her view he should have been treated with antibiotics over the past eight years, and has received no medication other than the occasional aspirin.

She said she was told that because his conviction was a level-one offence he has to be released to a facility or residence with a specific level of security, and no such beds are currently available in Sullivan County or surrounding counties.

Jane said there was a place in Woodbourne that was reportedly under consideration as a home for Chris, but its security level was not high enough. Ironically, Chris is now being held in a medium-security prison, not a high security prison.