CLEARLAKE — Weather conditions Thursday morning caused the postponement of the Thomas Loyd Dudney attempted murder trial, which was scheduled to convene in Department 4 in Clearlake.
Dudney, 59, faces 11 felony charges, including attempted murder, mayhem, robbery and assault with a firearm, in connection with an Oct. 20, 2009 incident in which Lakeport resident Ronald Greiner was attacked at his home behind the Record-Bee building.
All testimony before Thursday had been received at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport, and the scheduled one-day move to Clearlake was because of courtroom availability issues.
Snowfall overnight Wednesday and Thursday morning caused many road closures throughout Lake County, including significant portions of Highway 29 between Kelseyville and Lower Lake.
Attorney Doug Rhoades, who represents Dudney, said he got “turned around” by road closures while trying to travel from Lakeport southbound on Highway 29. People traveling to the Clearlake courtroom from the western part of the county would have had to drive north, make their way east to Highway 20 and drive south to Clearlake using Highway 53.
Deputy district attorney Art Grothe said some jurors and witnesses encountered problems traveling to Clearlake, leading to the postponement. The trial will resume Wednesday morning in Lakeport, both attorneys said.
