An attorney for Richard Bennett Thursday requested a trial date in late January, saying the man formerly associated with the city’s Violence Reduction Initiative needed vindication by a jury as quickly as possible.
“Mr. Bennett’s livelihood has been on hold until we can have these charges vindicated,” attorney Bill Speek said.
Bennett, the founder and director of A Better Tomorrow, was Mayor Andy Berke’s pick to lead the VRI. His nonprofit organization’s outreach efforts would have been central to the city’s efforts to lead identified gang members away from a life of crime.
But in June, Bennett was arrested after he was found in a minivan with a woman, two open bottles of Budweiser and an open bottle of Patron tequila. In a glove box, police found a baggie with less than a gram of marijuana. They also discovered a key chain containing one-and-a-half 7.5 mg hydrocodone pills.
He was charged with violation of open container laws, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, all misdemeanors. Bennett has always maintained that he was working that night, and in September the first two charges were dropped.
After his arrest, the city dropped its affiliation with A Better Tomorrow. Hope for the Inner City was chosen to facilitate VRI outreach.
In court Monday for his one remaining misdemeanor marijuana charge, Bennett wore a suit with a pink pocket square and, along with Speek, requested a trial date of Jan. 27.
His wife and a half-dozen supporters joined him in the courtroom.
Speek said he expects the entire trial to take two days at most. Judge Barry Steelman agreed to the January trial date and scheduled a pre-trial hearing for Jan. 26.
Speek said that the truth will come out at trial.
“We want a jury to hear the facts and decide on that issue,” Speek said.
Contact staff writer Claire Wiseman at cwiseman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347.