Politics & Government
UPDATE: UWRF Professor to Get Jury Trial in Child Sexual Assault Case
A final pre-trial conference has been scheduled for Feb. 13. The jury trial is set to begin on Feb. 28.
UPDATE (9:30 a.m., Dec. 14, 2011): A status conference on the case was held with Judge Eric Lundell, defendant Thomas Barnett, defense attorney Timothy O'Brien and St. prosecuting attorney Frank Collins.
A final pre-trial conference was scheduled for Feb. 13. The jury trial will begin Feb. 28.
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University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) professor Thomas Barnett pled not guilty today to felony charges of child sexual assault and false imprisonment.
Seated before St. Croix County Judge Eric Lundell Thursday afternoon, Barnett also asked for a speedy trial through his attorney Tim O'Brien.
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Lundell granted the motion, which means Barnett will be tried within 90 days from today.
The charges against Barnett stem from an .
The only sticking point in the proceedings came when St. Croix County District Attorney Frank Collins brought up the subject of Barnett's personnel records from the university.
According to both attorneys, subpoenaing Barnett's personnel records has met with resistance.
Collins told Lundell that his request for Barnett's records was denied by the university because making them public would violate the Student Privacy Protection Act.
According to Collins' correspondence with UWRF staff, the records contain the names of students that have communicated confidential complaints to the university about Barnett.
No further details were given.
According to O'Brien, repeated requests for Barnett's files have turned up an incomplete set.
Collins concluded the arraignment by suggesting a procedure whereby UWRF staff would turn over a complete set of Barnett's files to the court and the attorneys would then meet, analyze the contents of the files and determine whether they contain anything of arguable interest.
O'Brien agreed and Lundell granted the motion.
UWRF Human Resources Manager Tarra Davies-Fox then entered certified copies of Barnett's files into the custody of the court.
That meeting between attorneys is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 2 at 10:30 a.m.
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