The jury trial is set for the former Wagner police chief who says he was not covering for his girlfriend's meth use.
Former Wagner Police Chief Jim Chaney was arraigned in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. Chaney is accused of using a storage unit at the Police Department to store needles his girlfriend allegedly used for methamphetamine. He faces up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted.
Tuesday in a Charles Mix County courtroom, Chaney's lawyer asked for the location of the trial to be moved to Davison County or another county. Chaney's lawyer said he believes with the media coverage and the fact that Mr. Chaney is a 15-year veteran on the police force it would be difficult to find an impartial jury.
The defense claims some potential jurors may dislike Chaney for past arrests. The defense also said there is already a lot of dislike for the Wagner police force because of the way the RieLee Lovell case was handled.
Neither the prosecution nor the defense wanted to comment any further on the case. A jury trial is set for October 30-31.