LAKE COUNTY ?A jury of seven men and five women ranging in age from 18 to 75 years old will hear evidence in the trial of Bismarck Dinius.
Dinius was at the tiller of Mark Weber”s sailboat on April 29, 2006, when it was struck by a personal powerboat piloted by Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) Capt. Russell Perdock, who was off-duty.
Dinius was charged with vehicular manslaughter involving a vessel, for the death of Willows resident Lynn Thornton, who was a passenger on Weber”s sailboat.
District Attorney, Jon Hopkins formally dismissed the manslaughter charge against Dinius on Tuesday.
“I moved to dismiss the charge in the interest of justice,” Hopkins said.
Remaining charges include: felony boating under the influence and two misdemeanor boating under the influence charges.
Legal motions and discussions will take place until Tuesday when opening statements and evidence will be heard, thus beginning the trial phase.
“We will go four days a week and hope for the trial to be finished by Aug. 28,” Hopkins said.
