« No hiding place for child porn monsters | Main | 6 bodies found at Dome; 4 at Convention Center - Rumors of deaths greatly exaggerated »
September 25, 2005
James Bentley wants sex abuse trials moved
CEDAR RAPIDS -- The attorney for a man accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old Cedar Rapids girl who was later kidnapped and killed plans to ask the court to move both of his trials out of the area.
James Bentley, 33, of Vinton, is accused of sexually abusing Jetseta Gage in Cedar Rapids for nearly three years and in his Vinton home last fall.
Bentley, who briefly dated the girl's mother, Trena Gage, faces second-degree sexual abuse charges in Linn and Benton counties.
Bentley was in Linn County District Court on Thursday for a final hearing before his trial, but the hearing did not take place. The trial is set for Oct. 3 but it will likely be rescheduled.
His attorney, David Fiester, plans to file motions next week for a change of venue in both counties and said it's likely that James Bentley will go to trial first in Benton County on Nov. 7. Fiester didn't say where he'll ask to have the cases tried.
Bentley's older brother, Roger Paul Bentley, 38, of Brandon, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the child's death in March. Her body was found in a rundown mobile home in rural Johnson County.
Roger Bentley, described as a family friend, is a convicted sex offender.
His trial was moved to Davenport because of extensive publicity about the case in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area. The trial is scheduled for Nov 28.
However, his attorney wants the trial moved to Council Bluffs. A hearing on that request is set for Oct. 4 in Johnson County District Court.
Posted by Nealus at September 25, 2005 08:46 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
