Rancher’s new trial tentatively set for May
The new trial for a Humboldt County rancher who was partially convicted for dumping cattle carcasses near state waters is tentatively set for this spring.
Ray Christie will be heading back to the Humboldt County courthouse for trial May 4 after a jury previously convicted him of 26 counts of littering within 150 feet of state waters, but deadlocked on four counts of animal cruelty in December. Trial confirmation is set for April 13.
“If it's not ready at that time, we'll reset the schedule then,” said one of Christie's defense attorneys, Ken Bareilles.
The trial was originally set to begin in early February, but Judge Christopher Wilson granted a continuance to Christie since his attorneys were still waiting to receive transcripts from the jury trial last month.
Christie's lawyers also filed a motion to have Christie's property returned to him, which Bareilles said shouldn't be a problem since all of the information on his electronics have been downloaded.
Deputy District Attorney Adrian Kamada said the motion to return property has come up three times, but they don't generally return property until the trial process has concluded.
“We would like to see this process move forward,” Kamada said.
Christie was arrested in March 2018 when several local, state and federal agencies raided his ranch in the Arcata Bottoms and found around 300 dead cows stacked 10 feet high or laying in waterways.
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office also reported finding malnourished cows and mistreated dogs during the same raid.
The defense previously contended that Christie would buy sick animals and try to nurse them back to health, so it was in his financial interest to ensure they got well, though some of them ultimately would not. Christie is currently free on bail.