AUBURN – A man who held police at bay threatening suicide outside a Lewiston hospital two months ago was due in court Tuesday to argue why his trial on sex charges should be moved out of town.
But, a hearing on his motion for a change of venue was postponed when his lawyer suddenly became unavailable.
Edward Leo Fitzherbert, 61, of Poland was scheduled to stand trial at Androscoggin County Superior Court in February but drove to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center instead, a parade of police cars in his wake. He was armed and sitting in his van in the hospital parking lot for more than an hour before he surrendered.
He was expected to be assigned a new trial date after a fresh batch of jurors reports to court next week.
This week, Fitzherbert was scheduled to present his case for moving the trial elsewhere. His lawyer, Thomas Goodwin, had filed a motion stating that “extensive media coverage” has tainted the jury pool in Androscoggin County.
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