Court briefs

December 31, 2003|by GREGORY T. SIMMONS

Attempted murder trial postponed

The jury trial of a Fairplay man charged in June with attempted murder and arson was postponed Tuesday despite objections from the man's lawyer during a hearing in Washington County Circuit Court.

Eddie Preston Holmes, 48, lived at 7825A Sharpsburg Pike when fire investigators said he set fire to his mobile home while his wife was inside the home.

Shelly Holmes escaped serious injury.

Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office investigators charged Holmes with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree arson.

Assistant Washington County State's Attorney Robert Veil requested the postponement. Holmes' attorney, Brian Hutchison, said he believed the state should have been ready to try the case Tuesday.

Hutchison said prosecutors were stalling because one of the state's witnesses was on vacation, and results had not yet been obtained of an analysis of a carpet sample sent to a lab for testing.

Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone ruled in favor of the state, saying he agreed there was not enough time to complete the case Tuesday because of another jury trial. Boone did not immediately set another court date.

Paperwork entered on Hart's behalf

Ben Hart, the former director of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, did not appear in Washington County Circuit Court Tuesday for his first scheduled court appearance on a theft charge, with his lawyer instead entering paperwork on his behalf.

Ben Hart, who was the executive director at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, was served Oct. 8 with a single charge of felony theft scheme. Hagerstown City Police investigators allege he stole $15,526 from the bureau while he worked there.

Hagerstown attorney D. Bruce Poole said he will represent Hart on the single charge. No further court dates were scheduled Tuesday.

Woman facing theft charge retains lawyer

The case against a Greencastle, Pa., woman charged earlier this month in connection with funds missing from a Hagerstown travel agency progressed Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court.

Rebecca Price, 30, of 32 E. Baltimore St., is charged with six counts of theft from 1999 to 2000.

According to an indictment filed Dec. 2, Price is charged with taking $23,492 from customers of CW Travel, which had a store front on East Washington Street.

Hagerstown attorney John Salvatore on Tuesday submitted paperwork that said he would represent Price, who also uses the last name Calimer. No court dates were set in her case Tuesday.

|

|

|