NCJ - AUGUST TRIAL DELAYED AGAIN

AUGUST TRIAL DELAYED AGAIN: Last week Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John Feeney reset the date of the trial of Fortuna City Councilmember Debi August, who stands accused of malfeasance conflict of interest. The trial had been previously scheduled to start next week; Feeney ordered it rescheduled to May 22, in order to consider a request by August's attorneys to be allowed to access previously confidential testimony to the Humboldt County Grand Jury. At the same time, Feeney denied a motion that would have barred Assistant District Attorney Tim Stoen from prosecuting the case. In May 2004, the Humboldt County Grand Jury filed a formal accusation against August, charging that she abused her office by seeking special dispensation for a developer she was representing as a real estate agent.