A preliminary hearing for Robert Dale Nicholas on the charge of attempted first degree murder has been set for 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in Barton County District Court.Nicholas, 42, made a first appearance Monday before Magistrate Judge Verle Willey. At the hearing, Willey appointed Ellsworth attorney Roger Peterson to represent Nicholas. The former Wichita resident is in custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility.The attempted murder charge stems from events that took place on Jan. 31, when Jose Saul Torres Jr. was shot at a Great Bend residence.