The trial of state Sen. Greg Barkus for charges stemming from a Flathead Lake boat crash that injured five people is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 29 in Kalispell.
Requests for delays from the original April trial date by the prosecution and the defense in the case are mainly because both Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan and Barkus’ attorney, Todd Glazier, have hired their own accident reconstruction specialists who were unable to conduct their investigations over the winter.
In February, District Judge John McKeon granted the delay requests. The accident reconstruction expert for the state, Miles Beam of North Carolina, will travel to the Flathead this month to inspect the scene of the accident – a rocky outcropping at Wayfarer’s State Park near Bigfork where the boat crash occurred – along with the boat and other evidence. The prosecution’s report is due by June 1.
According to court documents, the accident reconstruction expert for Barkus won’t be able to inspect the accident scene until the summer months. That report is due Oct. 8.
Barkus, a 62-year-old Republican representing Kalispell’s Senate District 4, faces one count of criminal endangerment and two counts of negligent vehicular assault for an Aug. 27 boat crash that injured him and his four passengers, including U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont. The group was traveling east across Flathead Lake from Lakeside to Bigfork when the boat Barkus was driving smashed into a rocky outcropping at high speed.
Prosecutors say Barkus’ blood alcohol content was 0.16, twice the legal limit, when taken two hours after the accident. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, all felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of 30 years.
A hearing on existing pre-trial motions is scheduled for Sept. 16, following a series of deadlines for Corrigan and Glazier to file briefs in August and early September. Whether the two sides will arrive at a plea bargain remains unclear.
Corrigan, reached last week, emphasized the court process is working the same for Barkus as it would for any other citizen.
“This is not unusual,” Corrigan said. “With any criminal case there are long periods of time when really not much is done.”
“We’re moving forward with appropriate dispatch,” he added.