SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The trial of a Spokane police officer charged with excessive force has been postponed to March 7.
The Spokesman-Review reports federal Judge Fred Van Sickle reset the trial date Monday to give lawyers more time with pretrial motions about evidence.
Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. also is charged with lying to investigators about the death in March of 2006 of Otto Zehm.
The 36-year-old stopped breathing after he was struck repeatedly with a police baton, shocked several times with a Taser and hogtied.
The mentally ill janitor was erroneously accused of stealing money from a cash machine.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
