PORT ANGELES — A trial date for a Sequim man who allegedly hit a teen boy with his car and drove off has been postponed.
The six-day trial was set to begin Aug. 25 in Clallam County Superior Court for Cole William Douglas, 22, but defense attorney William Payne didn’t think the date was viable due to the amount of discovery, according to court documents.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steven Johnson did not object.
Judge Simon Barnhart agreed on July 30 to strike the trial date and schedule a hearing for 9 a.m. Aug. 28 to set a new date.
Lawyers previously agreed discovery evidence was large and the trial date might need to be extended, but a start date was set anyway.
Payne also asked on July 30 for more time to speak with Douglas about waiving his right to a speedy trial.
Douglas pleaded not guilty on June 6 to felony charges of hit-and-run with injury and vehicular assault for a hit-and-run incident that injured a 13-year-old boy who was skateboarding with friends about 9 p.m. March 31 in the 600 block of West Spruce Street.
The boy’s mother said her son was struck from behind and faces months of rehabilitation therapy.
Douglas was arrested on May 21 in Oklahoma, flown back to Clallam County and booked in the Clallam County Jail on May 23.
Judge Brent Basden set Douglas’ bail at $20,000, which Douglas posted on May 29.
The vehicle suspected to have been involved in the incident, a 1996 Lexus sedan, was located in Muskogee, Okla.
A warrant in Washington state went out for Douglas’ arrest on April 8 and a nationwide warrant went out on May 8.
Douglas does not have a criminal history. For each charge, he could face up to five years or 10 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 or $20,000.
