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Nicholas Howard Greenwood, 26, appeared in Winona County District Court for a pretrial hearing in which the anticipated weeklong trial, originally scheduled to begin June 23, was delayed to give lawyers more time to prepare.
His public defender, Karin Sonneman, said both she and the Winona County Attorney’s Office needed a concrete date sometime in September or October to fly in expert witnesses and other witnesses from as far away as New York. A new date would be beneficial for both parties, she said.
Judge Jeff Thompson said he would find a date and alert the attorneys involved.
According to the criminal complaint:
Greenwood was asked to leave the area of a St. Charles home on Highway 74 on Aug. 6, 2005. He yelled racial slurs and said he would be back. Less than an hour later, Greenwood returned with a shotgun and fired seven rounds at the home. No one was injured in the incident, but at least two slugs entered the home.
Greenwood has been charged with nine counts of attempted murder, as well as 14 other felonies, including drive-by shooting, assault with a dangerous weapon and terroristic threats.
Fusion arson
James Daniel Farris, 21, was sentenced to 10 years of probation and 30 days in jail for setting a fire in the old Fusion Coatings building in November.
The insurance company for the building is also requesting Farris pay more than $19,000 in restitution, Assistant Winona County Attorney Nancy Bostrack said. The exact amount will be determined at a July 17 hearing.
Farris admitted in April he broke into the building on East Sanborn Street on Nov. 24 and set fire to a pile of documents because he was cold. Police say Farris had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.21 percent and caused damage with the fire and a forklift.
Farris apologized to the court for his crime Thursday and said it never would have happened if he had not been under the influence of alcohol. He said he’s been sober since the incident.
Guilty of burglary
Steven Edward Miller, 21, admitted helping two friends steal two laptops, an Xbox video game system and a flat screen TV, all worth nearly $4,000, from an unoccupied apartment in October 2007.
Miller was convicted on a single charge of third-degree burglary in a plea agreement reached with prosecutors. Assistant Winona County Attorney Nancy Bostrack agreed to drop a more serious burglary charge and two felony theft charges in exchange for Miller’s plea.
At sentencing, both sides will recommend supervised probation, no more than
30 days in jail and order restitution be paid to the victims.
According to the criminal complaint and Miller’s testimony Thursday, he and Marcus Lamont Weston, 27, and Gary Skaggs, 20, cut the screen on a back window of a residence in the 150 block of East King Street the evening of Oct. 27 and stole the electronics. Miller said he received a subwoofer from the other suspects for helping in the burglary.
A warrant has been issued for Skaggs after he failed to appear in court.
Weston is scheduled for a settlement conference June 18. Miller returns for sentencing Aug. 7.
Contact Kevin Behr at (507) 453-3524 or at kbehr@winonadailynews.com.
