Spence trial rescheduled

by Mark Dykes

A Friday procedural issue in a case against Justin Spence means a trial that has already seen a couple delays will again be rescheduled for early 2017. Spence is on trial for incest, a felony charge that alleges in July of 2014 he molested a juvenile female.

As proceedings were set to get underway Friday morning, Judge Robert Skar thanked the jury for their service and discharged them. Jury selection in the trial had gone beyond a full business day Wednesday.

Following opening arguments from prosecuting attorney Marcia Bean and defense attorney Travis Smith on Thursday, a large part of the day was spent on Bean’s questioning of the alleged victim.

Though there was no further information regarding the exact issue that caused the trial to end early, during Thursday’s proceedings Defense Attorney Travis Smith expressed concern he had not received all of the taped interviews of the alleged victim, and he was given time to review an interview. It is unknown if this was a cause for rescheduling the trial.