Pretrial set for former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper charged with rape
A pretrial date has been set for a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper accused of raping a Guthrie woman while on duty June 20.
Patrick Venable, 28, was ordered to stand trial after Special judge R.L. Hert Jr. ruled April 4 that there was enough evidence presented at the preliminary hearing for Venable to face trial in district court on a count of second-degree rape.
Court records show that Venable’s pretrial is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 15 in Logan County. At his arraignment last week, Venable pleaded not guilty to the charge.
For more on the judge’s order for Venable to stand trial, click here.
Read about the preliminary hearing and testimony here.
Photo by Paul Southerland: Former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Patrick Venable leaving a courtroom during his preliminary hearing at the Payne County Courthouse in Stillwater Monday, Jan. 23, 2012.
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Comments
It’s just going through the court process. Sometimes cases can be delayed or continued for various reasons. At the pretrial, attorneys will decide on a date for Venable’s trial. It might also be interesting to note that some defendants choose to plead out at pretrials. We’ll follow this case and see what happens.
Is it just me, or does it seem like Venable’s court proceedings are getting moved around a lot? If that’s so, why?