October 2, 2013 at 5:03 p.m.
England trial pushed back to February
It has been more than eight months since England, 46, last appeared in court.
In January, a judge denied England's motion to dismiss charges against her. England is facing a total of four felony counts of misconduct in office and three misdemeanor counts that include theft and obstructing an officer.
A five-day jury trial beginning Nov. 18 had been put on the court calendar, but those dates were recently pushed back to mid-February 2014.
England's attorney, Joel Hirschhorn, said the rescheduling is a result of a federal $835 million insurance fraud case he's involved in that is currently at trial in Miami. His client is one of two defendants who did not enter a guilty plea short of trial.
"I am and have been in federal court since Sept. 9," Hirschhorn said. "The trial is likely to go through at least mid-November."
There has been discussion in the past about consolidating the charges against England, which are part of three separate files, but the new jury trial dates would be for the initial charges against England filed in January 2012. That file includes two of the misconduct in office counts.
England was charged following an investigation that began the day after she and an Oneida County Sheriff's detective traveled to Fond du Lac to deliver a body to be autopsied. According to the criminal complaint, the detective observed England "picking tissue" from a bag near a body being autopsied and placing it in a plastic container. On the return trip, England allegedly talked about also taking a piece of spinal column from the body they had just transported, which she planned to use to train her dog.
A subsequent investigation occurred and two more felony charges of misconduct in office were eventually filed in October 2012.
One of the complaints alleges that England used the cremated remains of a person during a dog training session with law enforcement in December 2011 in Madison. According to the complaint, England offered the cremains to the other dog handlers. Law enforcement made contact with the deceased person's family who said they still wanted the cremains but were initially unable to pay for them. According to the complaint, England told them she would hold the cremains until they could pay. However, the complaint says she indicated to the others at the training session that the person's family wasn't interested in claiming the cremains.
The second complaint identifies another deceased person that England allegedly took tissue from and gave to the other dog handlers in Madison. The deceased person was identified from tissue that had been sent to the state crime lab for analysis. According to the complaint, law enforcement contacted the deceased person's family who said they did not give England permission to take tissue.
Kyle Rogers may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.