Page 2 - Reed Bender News Today

State’s Attorney Jim Miskimins agreed on Thursday to dismiss the obstruction charge that Reed Bender, 40, was facing.

As part of the motion, he referenced an article that was published in the Mitchell Republic newspaper that delved into the costs of having two jury trials as example of the media coverage that he alleges could “influence potential jurors” in the upcoming trial.

Davison County State's Attorney Jim Miskimins declined comment on the case Tuesday.

Topic has been source of controversy since arrival of pandemic

As the second trial approaches, the cost of having both trials could hover around $5,000 to $6,000, depending on the length of the January 2022 retrial.

A one-year timeline.

The decision closes the three-day trial of Reed Bender, 38, of Mitchell, who faced a Class 1 misdemeanor charge. As both sides made their final closing arguments, the jury began deliberating Bender’s case that stemmed from a Sept. 14, 2020, Mitchell Board of Education meeting in which Bender refused to wear a mask that resulted in an altercation between him and police officers.

Three-day trial ends without consensus in case of Mitchell man

Three-day trial ends without consensus in case of Mitchell man

Jury trial now scheduled for March