Trial for Wasilla man pushed back again

PALMER — Wasilla resident Jeremy Bendt sat through another pre-trial conference at the Palmer Courthouse Friday facing multiple charges including, attempted murder, assault and vehicle theft.

Judge Kari Kristiansen pushed Bendt’s trial again granting defense attorney Joshua Fannon’s request of more time to review discovery documents and allocated finances.

“There’s still lots of discovery that’s outstanding,” Fannon said.

The state did not object, saying too that there was, “a lot of discovery in this case.”

Bendt, 29, is currently facing trial with two separate case numbers. According to sworn Alaska State Trooper affidavits in his case file, he allegedly assaulted and choked a woman unconscious in a Palmer-area cemetery July 22 around 2:15 a.m.

According to AST, a woman was ringing a doorbell, “screaming that someone was trying to kill her” and told troopers that the woman said that Bendt attacked her with a knife and assaulted her, striking her in the face and eventually, “strangled her to the point where she lost consciousness.”

Shortly after the incident, Bendt also allegedly stole the woman’s keys and her vehicle, according to the report. He is currently still in custody. Fannon informed Kristiansen that Bendt had been communicating with his father recently and they needed more to prepare.

“We need a little bit of time to get some finances together. There’s some things that need to be dealt with outside the courtroom,” Fannon said.

Bendt was previously scheduled for trial next month, but now he will return to the Palmer Courthouse for another pre-trial conference Dec. 14 at 9 a.m., and his new trial week is set to start on Jan. 2, 2019, at 8:30 a.m.