Nicholas Stratas, a Raleigh psychiatrist who reviewed Yarborough's state hospital records, said the cycle could have been broken at any time if community mental-health workers and hospital staff had collaborated to plan Yarborough's treatment after he left the hospital. State records indicate that Wake County and hospital staff met to discuss Yarborough only once, in 1994.

Stratas, a former official in the state mental-health office, reviewed Yarborough's files for The News & Observer. He said Yarborough was telling doctors, " 'I need to be kept somewhere away from drugs.' But he is largely dealt with as a different event every time he appears at the door."

Police took Yarborough to Dorothea Dix Hospital in the early years after he threatened to kill family members or himself. After a while, he started showing up at Dix on his own.

In 2006, when Yarborough was admitted to Dix and state drug treatment in Butner 15 times, his records show no face-to-face meetings between Wake staff or private providers and the hospitals. While Yarborough was at Dix, doctors adjusted his medications, but his days there were little more than brief layovers between bouts of drinking and drug use.

Yarborough had to find his own way out of Butner after he left May 31, 2006. He went to a bus station. He started using drugs again the day he left the treatment center. He returned to Dix 10 more times that year.

YARBOROUGH'S STATE HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS, 2006:

Dorothea Dix

Admitted, discharged April 9.

Cost for one day: $689

Dorothea Dix

Admitted May 4, discharged May 8. Cost for four days: $2,756

Dorothea Dix

Admitted May 10, discharged May 11. Cost for one day: $689

Dorothea Dix

Admitted May 14, discharged May 16. Cost for two days: $1,378

R.J. Blackley alcohol and drug treatment center in Butner

Admitted May 16, discharged May 31. Cost for 15 days: $11,400

Dorothea Dix

Admitted June 20, discharged June 22.

Cost for two days: $1,378

Dorothea Dix

Admitted June 27, discharged June 28. Cost for one day: $689

Dorothea Dix

Admitted June 28, discharged June 30.

Cost for three days: $2,067

Dorothea Dix

Admitted July 31, discharged Aug. 2. Cost for three days: $2,067

Dorothea Dix

Admitted Sept. 7, discharged Sept. 8. Cost for one day: $689

Dorothea Dix

Admitted Oct. 22, discharged Oct. 23. Cost for one day: $689

Dorothea Dix

Admitted Oct. 23, discharged Oct. 25. Cost for two days: $1,378

Dorothea Dix

Admitted Nov. 23, discharged Nov. 27. Cost for four days: $2,756

Dorothea Dix

Admitted Nov. 28, discharged Nov. 29 Cost for one day: $689

Dorothea Dix

Admitted Dec. 7, discharged Dec. 8. Cost for one day: $689

Cost of his 2006 treatment:

$30,003

Cost of his state treatment since 1994:

$90,046