Amity man gets ‘COVID’ continuance

Attorneys for an Amity man have filed a request for a continuance of a court case in Pike County. 52 year old Lavoyce Wilder is charged with several felony counts for alleged sexual contact, including four counts of Rape, involving juvenile age children. In filing the request yesterday, Wilder’s attorneys noted he is scheduled for trial November 19th. They say COVID-19 would require prospective jurors to wear facial coverings, making it difficult for the defense to judge the demeanor of the the jury pool. The trial date is also immediately before the Thanksgiving holiday compounding Wilder’s right to a fair and public trial.
Due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state, attorneys say this would prohibit the number of general public members who could attend the proceedings, which is the constitutional right of the public and defendant.
The motion for continuance asks for a rescheduling of the trial after January 1st.