Change of venue
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 02:32 p.m., January 28, 2008
Updated 02:32 p.m., January 28, 2008
The second trial of Kenneth Waddell will be held in Sedgwick County District Court in Wichita.
Waddell had been convicted of raping a child, among other charges.
The conviction was overturned by the Kansas Court of Appeals, which ruled that Waddell’s constitutional rights were violated when the young victim in the case was allowed to testify by videotape, rather than in person.
The prosecution appealed the decision to the Kansas Supreme Court, which refused to hear the appeal.
Waddell’s retrial was to have begun on Tuesday. A questionnaire completed by potential jurors, however, showed that approximately half of those summoned for duty had some knowledge of the case, and the defense again requested Waddell be granted a change of venue.
Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman did not object.
The retrial will begin Feb. 19 and is expected to run through Feb. 22.