Yuknavich Trial Delayed, Again
By: Andy Mehalshick
Updated: February 13, 2013
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County- More fireworks today during the trial for Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Chief John Yuknavick . Veteran courthouse observers tell the I-Team's Andy Mehalshick that they have never seen anything like this. A prosecutor was held in contempt of court and that same prosecutor Mike Melnick asked the judge to recuse himself from the trial because he had dinner with the defense lawyer about a month ago
Fire Chief John Yuknavich left the courthouse carrying boxes of evidence. He was supposed to stand trial for allegedly stealing more than $13,000 from the Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department.. Right at the outset Assistant District Attorney Mike Melnick asked the Judge Joe Slarosky to recuse himself from the cased since he learned that the judge had dinner with defense attorney Barry Dyller about a month ago.
The judge denied that request saying there were 12 other people there and the case was not discussed..
.Lawyers then tackled a pre-trial motion involving evidence in the case, which actually started yesterday... Assistant D.A. Mike Melnick did not answer a question about that evidence, despite being instructed to by Judge to do so. The judge held Melnick in contempt and ordered him to be lodged at the Luzerne County Prison but the judge "stayed" that order pending an appeal on the evidence motion to the State Superior Court.
The I-Team's Andy Mehalshick will have more on this story on later editions of Eyewitness News.
Fire Chief John Yuknavich left the courthouse carrying boxes of evidence. He was supposed to stand trial for allegedly stealing more than $13,000 from the Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department.. Right at the outset Assistant District Attorney Mike Melnick asked the Judge Joe Slarosky to recuse himself from the cased since he learned that the judge had dinner with defense attorney Barry Dyller about a month ago.
The judge denied that request saying there were 12 other people there and the case was not discussed..
.Lawyers then tackled a pre-trial motion involving evidence in the case, which actually started yesterday... Assistant D.A. Mike Melnick did not answer a question about that evidence, despite being instructed to by Judge to do so. The judge held Melnick in contempt and ordered him to be lodged at the Luzerne County Prison but the judge "stayed" that order pending an appeal on the evidence motion to the State Superior Court.
The I-Team's Andy Mehalshick will have more on this story on later editions of Eyewitness News.
