The molestation trial of Dennis Kirkwood has been rescheduled for next June in state District Court, according to the office of state District Court Judge Michael Vigil.
Kirkwood, 70, is facing 148 felony counts for allegedly raping and molesting his step granddaughter when she was between the ages of six and 11, according to court documents.
He has been charged with 144 counts of criminal sexual contact, four counts of rape, and two of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, court documents state.
The trial had been set to start Dec. 10.
Jury selection for the trial, which is expected to take two days, has been postponed to June 2, according to an online court records database. Neither the prosecuting attorney nor defense counsel returned calls for comment on the case.
In a previous motion, public defense Sydney West requested an extension for the case because she received it belatedly after Kirkwood’s previous attorney, Dan Cron, withdrew.
SUN Staff Report
Española Police officer Eugene Rodella, on leave since March after his wife reported he allegedly assaulted her, will likely go before the Law Enforcement Academy Board sometime in March 2009, according to Española Police.
Rodella’s hearing was expected to take place at a Dec. 9 meeting but was delayed, Española Public Safety Chief Julian Gonzales confirmed last week. The exact date of the next meeting has not yet been scheduled, according to Law Enforcement Academy Board staff.
Rodella allegedly punched his wife’s eye and kicked her after the two fought about an affair he was allegedly having. Assistant District Attorney Lorili Powell said she has not decided what to charge Rodella with, or whether to charge him.
Rodella will remain on paid administrative leave at least until his Law Enforcement Administration Board hearing, Gonzales said. The Board could suspend or revoke Rodella’s certification.