A date has been set for a contempt of court proceeding for a witness in an involuntary manslaughter case who has been accused of violating a court order.
Lisa Ruiz is scheduled to return to court Sept. 29 for what District Judge Gunnar Sundby said would be a contempt trial.
Ruiz is accused of not obeying the judge’s instructions after testifying as a prosecution witness during a July 8 preliminary hearing for Monica F. Rivera. The contempt allegation has been made by attorneys for Rivera.
Sundby told witnesses who’d finished testifying during the July 8 hearing not to discuss their testimony with other people who had been subpoenaed. Rivera’s attorneys allege Ruiz left the courtroom and talked about her testimony in a hallway where other witnesses who were waiting to testify.
Ruiz later testified during a trial for Rivera, who was found guilty Aug. 5 of involuntary manslaughter and endangering a child. Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
Ruiz appeared Wednesday in Leavenworth County District Court as part of the contempt proceedings against her. But her court-appointed attorney, Benjamin Casad, asked to schedule another court date.
“I think there’s some additional evidence I’d like to look into,” he said.
He said this evidence could result in a lengthy court proceeding.
Deb Snider, who is one of Rivera’s attorneys, said she may need to issue more subpoenas in the case in light of a discussion she’d had with Casad.
