Soto Trial Starts Tuesday In Circuit Court
July 31, 2017 at 4:19 p.m.
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Dr. Mark Soto, former Grace College professor, is scheduled to begin a nine-day jury trial on Tuesday. He faces three felony counts of corrupt business influence and three felony counts of intimidation.
According to a motion made available Friday, one of the state’s witnesses will testify about membership in a gang. The witness was not named in the motion.
“Details of the witness’s gang involvement, membership and activity will expose the witness to credible, potential retaliation,” Special Deputy Prosecutor Tami Napier wrote in the motion.
Napier argues the proposed closure is “one of minimal intrusion.”
Local attorney David Kolbe said today, “It’s extremely rare for a motion to close to be filed, and in my years as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I’ve never seen it.”
Previously, Special Prosecutor Nelson Chipman repeatedly talked about the need for transparency in the case.
“The story is continuing to come out and reach closure – step by step. But as I have said for months, if not over a year, the good people of Kosciusko County need to know the full story,” he said at a previous press conference.
Special Judge Stephen Bowers set a hearing for an argument on the motion Tuesday before the trial begins.
Former martial arts instructor Kevin Bronson also was indicted in the case. Bronson pleaded guilty to one count of felony corrupt business influence July 14. As part of Bronson’s plea agreement, he must testify against Soto.
In court documents, Bronson intends to invoke his immunity, meaning that anything he says in the stand can not be used against him in future court proceedings.
Soto was indicted along Rovenstine and Bronson in February 2016.
All the charges connecting Rovenstine to Soto and Bronson were dropped. Rovenstine pleaded guilty to one count of intimidation in April based on a phone call with Warsaw Police officer Paul Heaton, who was investigating Bronson. As a result, Rovenstine was removed from office and sentenced to one year of probation.
Soto is accused of engaging in “a pattern of racketeering activity” while raising money for Bronson’s martial arts gym Young Dragon Enterprises, as well as a purported book and movie deal about Bronson’s conversion to Christianity.
The gym closed and the movie and book were never made, and Bronson was later arrested on cocaine charges.
The indictment alleges Bronson and Soto threatened David Baker to get him to provide free legal services to get the book and movie deal made.
Soto also is accused of threatening Nate McLaurin for asking about Bronson’s superior in the Aryan Brotherhood, according to court documents. The last intimidation charge against Soto also comes from allegedly threatening McLaurin.
Prosectors contend Soto and Bronson threatened McLaurin’s life and family to obtain payments that totaled $84,012.50.
The trial will take place in Kosciusko Circuit Court with Bowers presiding.
Attorneys Scott Lennox and Joe Sobek will represent Soto during the case.
Dr. Mark Soto, former Grace College professor, is scheduled to begin a nine-day jury trial on Tuesday. He faces three felony counts of corrupt business influence and three felony counts of intimidation.
According to a motion made available Friday, one of the state’s witnesses will testify about membership in a gang. The witness was not named in the motion.
“Details of the witness’s gang involvement, membership and activity will expose the witness to credible, potential retaliation,” Special Deputy Prosecutor Tami Napier wrote in the motion.
Napier argues the proposed closure is “one of minimal intrusion.”
Local attorney David Kolbe said today, “It’s extremely rare for a motion to close to be filed, and in my years as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I’ve never seen it.”
Previously, Special Prosecutor Nelson Chipman repeatedly talked about the need for transparency in the case.
“The story is continuing to come out and reach closure – step by step. But as I have said for months, if not over a year, the good people of Kosciusko County need to know the full story,” he said at a previous press conference.
Special Judge Stephen Bowers set a hearing for an argument on the motion Tuesday before the trial begins.
Former martial arts instructor Kevin Bronson also was indicted in the case. Bronson pleaded guilty to one count of felony corrupt business influence July 14. As part of Bronson’s plea agreement, he must testify against Soto.
In court documents, Bronson intends to invoke his immunity, meaning that anything he says in the stand can not be used against him in future court proceedings.
Soto was indicted along Rovenstine and Bronson in February 2016.
All the charges connecting Rovenstine to Soto and Bronson were dropped. Rovenstine pleaded guilty to one count of intimidation in April based on a phone call with Warsaw Police officer Paul Heaton, who was investigating Bronson. As a result, Rovenstine was removed from office and sentenced to one year of probation.
Soto is accused of engaging in “a pattern of racketeering activity” while raising money for Bronson’s martial arts gym Young Dragon Enterprises, as well as a purported book and movie deal about Bronson’s conversion to Christianity.
The gym closed and the movie and book were never made, and Bronson was later arrested on cocaine charges.
The indictment alleges Bronson and Soto threatened David Baker to get him to provide free legal services to get the book and movie deal made.
Soto also is accused of threatening Nate McLaurin for asking about Bronson’s superior in the Aryan Brotherhood, according to court documents. The last intimidation charge against Soto also comes from allegedly threatening McLaurin.
Prosectors contend Soto and Bronson threatened McLaurin’s life and family to obtain payments that totaled $84,012.50.
The trial will take place in Kosciusko Circuit Court with Bowers presiding.
Attorneys Scott Lennox and Joe Sobek will represent Soto during the case.
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