Eureka man’s rape trial delayed by COVID-19
The trial for a Eureka man facing multiple charges of raping a 16-year-old girl has been delayed because of COVID-19.
Judge Christopher Wilson said in court Monday that the jury trial for David Anderson, who is facing two charges of rape, one charge of forcibly sodomizing a minor and one charge of forcing a minor to perform oral sex on or about Nov. 7 through Nov. 8, 2018, cannot yet proceed because of safety precautions in place at the courthouse to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“I know that the Public Health Department will not allow us to try more than a single case at a time,” Wilson said. “We have the (Jorge) Anaya matter, which is proceeding at this time.”
The statutory time frame within which Anderson’s jury trial must begin ends Wednesday, but Humboldt County Presiding Judge Joyce Hinrichs issued an order Friday requiring
criminal jury trials set to begin between Jan. 25 and March 1 to be reset because the court “is experiencing substantially higher numbers of postponements or excuses from jury service for COVID-related reasons.”
“I want to move this case along sooner rather than later,” Wilson said.
Trial assignment is now set for Feb. 5 with a tentative jury trial date of Feb. 8.