The case against Ronald Craig White, 41, for the theft of a backhoe from United Rentals in Lebanon was dismissed earlier this month for lack of a speedy trial.
A judge dismissed the case on Aug. 9 after White’s attorney moved to dismiss.
“The case was set for trial several times,” District Attorney Jason Carlile said. “And it was bumped several times.”
Since then, court scheduling has changed, Carlile said, and the multiple trial setting that led to the delay of White’s trial has diminished.
At times, four or even more trials would be scheduled for the same time in Linn County Circuit Court. The court would use several factors, including the age of a case and which cases were ready to go to decide which case to hear.
Cases were rarely dismissed as a result of the bumping, Carlile said. “It may have happened once or twice, but nothing else comes to mind.”
The White case was dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning that it cannot be taken back into the courts for any reason.
“The docket’s under much better control,” Carlile said. Cases do not get bumped often now. Since the beginning of the year, Carlile estimates it has happened less than a half dozen times.
White faced a charge of first-degree aggravated theft, a class B felony.
Also charged in the crime was Kyle Costa, 41. The status of his case was unavailable at press time.
The backhoe was taken from a local construction site in July 2000. Police arrested and charged White and Costa for the theft.
The backhoe was recovered in August. It had been buried on property owned by White’s Electronics.
The backhoe was valued at $50,000.
During an investigation, police learned from Costa that the backhoe was at White’s Electronics. The equipment was located using a metal detector after police notices signs of fresh excavation. The backhoe was under approximately two feet of dirt.