SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The federal obstruction of justice trial of Spokane police officer Karl F. Thompson will be moved to Yakima because of intense publicity in the 5-year-old case.
U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle ruled Tuesday that the jury pool for the trial that begins next Tuesday will not include people from Spokane.
Thompson is charged with using unreasonable force and lying to investigators following a 2006 confrontation with 36-year-old Otto Zehm at a convenience store. The mentally disabled Zehm was beaten repeatedly and hog-tied by police, despite committing no crime. He died two days later.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
