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Vong Nhia Vang, of Onalaska, Wis., is facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and harassment of a person younger than 18. One of the charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The case has been “bumped a lot,” his court-appointed attorney Karin Sonneman said.
Requests for continuances because of unavailable witnesses and attorneys have caused the delays, according to Minnesota court records. Vang’s own failure to appear in court for pretrial hearings has resulted in his arrest on two warrants and at least one rescheduling of his trial.
The latest delay came from a request for a continuance by Winona County Attorney Chuck MacLean because a key witness would not be available when the trial was set to begin Sept. 22. The request was granted two weeks ago, and a new date of Jan. 14, 2009, was set.
Sonneman asked Thursday for a new pretrial date closer to the trial because discussions to resolve the case have been ongoing for a long time. She later admitted, however, that resolution was “not close.”
Judge Mary Leahy said she didn’t want to force Vang into court more than once between now and Jan. 14, so she denied Sonneman’s request.
On April 14, 2007, Vang approached a 13-year-old boy helping load a boat onto a trailer at the Dresbach, Minn., boat landing near Lock and Dam 7, according to the criminal complaint. Vang accused the boy of beating up his younger brother and attacked him. Vang dumped the remnants of a beer over the boy’s head and smashed the can against his face, the complaint states.
Vang choked, punched, kicked and beat the boy with a stick before being distracted enough for the boy to flee to a car full of friends, the complaint states. Vang then approached the car and flashed his tattoos, claiming to be a member of the street gang True Asian Bloods.
Vang later admitted to police he was at the boat landing that day but denied assaulting the boy.
Kevin Behr may be reached at (507) 453-3524 or at kbehr@winonadailynews.com.
Joe Winona wrote on Sep 5, 2008 9:03 AM: