During a pre-trial hearing Thursday morning a new trial date was set for a 27-year-old Hutchinson man arrested back in May on a charge of rape and other felonies.
Craig Lee Gooch is charged with rape, aggravated kidnapping, two alternate theories or counts of aggravated robbery, another count of aggravated sexual battery, aggravated burglary, aggravated intimidation of victim or witness, criminal threat, interference with law enforcement, auto burglary and aggravated sexual battery.
His attorney Alice Osburn apparently wants more tapes of phone conversations Gooch may have had from the jail. It’s well known that inmate conversations are taped.
Judge Tim Chambers set a date of January 22, 2013 and told the two sides the case will go on that date with no more continuances.
The case itself started early in the day back on Friday May 11 when officers of the Hutchinson Police Department were dispatched to the 300 block of East 6th for a report of a possible abduction of a Hutchinson woman. The initial investigation revealed that Gooch had kidnapped the woman, then sexually assaulted her, then left on foot. But, less then an hour later, he was located at a residence in the 700 block of East 3rd.
He has just been released from prison back in January for convictions of attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary out of Leavenworth County.
Gooch remains jailed on a half million dollar bond and again the trial is now set to begin with jury selection of January 22.
