One defendant in an alleged chop shop operation has been ordered to stand trial, an arraignment has been set for another and the pre-preliminary hearing has been continued for a third.
Formal felony charges were originally filed May 26, 2022 in Lincoln County District Court against Kaleb Burleson, 19, Kenneth Gale Simon, 37, and Whitney Harrison, 34.
On the same day charges were filed, bench warrants of $10,000 each were issued for the arrest of Burleson and Harrison and a $15,000 bench warrant was issued for Simon. Harrison was later charged with harboring a fugitive also.
Recently, Judge Mueller set the pre-preliminary hearing for March 16 this year. She has now scheduled it for April 13.
Harrison and Kenneth Gale Simon, 37, of Prague, who she is charged with harboring, were arrested following a brief pursuit on July 28.
Simon was arraigned on March 14. Appearing before District Judge Traci Soderstrom, he entered a not guilty plea. The plea was received and he was ordered to stand trial at 9 a.m. on June 5, this year. He is set for the felony disposition docket on May 16 and the jury call docket June 2.
He faces an additional charge of attempting to elude officers. Harrison, originally charged with conspiracy and knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property, is now facing an additional count of harboring Simon.
He has been ordered to stand trial at the same time on that charged and set for the disposition and jury call dockets at the same time as on the other charges.
On March 16, Burleson waived his preliminary hearing. Appearing before Judge Mueller, she scheduled his arraignment for 9:30 a.m. April 4.
Simon was charged May 26 in Lincoln County District Court of operating/ dealing with a chop shop after former conviction of two or more felonies, conspiracy after former conviction of two or more felonies and knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property after conviction of two more felonies.
Harrison is accused of harboring Simon when she knew law enforcement officers were looking for him.