State Seeks Delay of Trial for Officer in Freddie Gray Case

BALTIMORE, MD – The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office has asked for a continuance in the case of Officer Edward Nero, one of six Baltimore Police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.

Prosecutors said that a power outage from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, left staff unable to access electronically stored data related to the case. According to court filings, BGE notified the state's attorney on Tuesday, May 3, that the office at 120 East Baltimore Street would be without power during the 12-hour time period.

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The utility work had the consequence of "effectively and unexpectedly halting final case preparations during the important last days before trial," according to the state's attorney.

To allow the team prepare before trial, the state's attorney asked for Nero's trial to be pushed back one day, from Wednesday, May 11, to Thursday, May 12.

The lawyer representing Nero did not object to the idea of starting the trial a day later, the state's attorney said.

A pretrial motions hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10.