KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Tempers Rage in Bloom Trial
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by Sarah Pierik
Testimony from a taped confession leads to a dramatic confrontation in court.
The rape trial for former Kansas Sheriff James Ryan Bloom resumed in Hutchinson Wednesday morning.
He's accused of raping his own stepdaughter, when she was eleven and twelve years old.
The defense called for a mistrial after the jury mistakenly heard Bloom say he'd messed around with his sister.
The court previously ordered the district attorney to remove that content from the recording.
But the prosecution says the defense had every opportunity to catch that mistake before it went to the jury.
The judge allowed the trial to continue, but ordered the tape to be re-edited, and instructed the jury to disregard the statement.
The defense also called for a mistrial on the grounds of the victims testimony, saying inappropriate evidence was entered into court Tuesday. The judge also denied that motion, saying the defense had every opportunity to object to the statement Tuesday but failed to do so.
After a break, the court also put it on the record that the judge put a stop to an altercation between the assistant district attorney and the defense counsel in his chambers. He warned them further misbehavior would not be tolerated.
The trial continues in the Reno County Courthouse Thursday morning.
