The jury trial for the Great Bend man involved in an accident that killed two motorcyclists on 10th Street in 2014 has been rescheduled to next spring.
William Howard Baker was in the vehicle pulling a trailer that came unhitched and crossed into oncoming traffic on Aug. 16, 2014. He is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the accident that claimed the lives of Reno County couple Shawn and Danielle Schellenger.
His jury trial has been rescheduled twice before, as defense attorney Charles O’Hara and Barton County Attorney Douglas Matthews both requested more time to prepare their cases. Later, O’Hara said the parties needed additional time to reach an agreement.
If no settlement was reached, the jury trial had been scheduled to begin this week, during the second anniversary of the accident. But a motion filed in Barton County District Court by the county attorney’s office said a witness would not be available. The new date for the trial is March 27-31, 2017.