Judge resets trial date for Benjamin Brewer

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole speaks to defendant Benjamin Brewer, the driver who plowed his tractor-trailer truck into slowed traffic in 2015, leading to the death of six people, in a previous hearing.
Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole speaks to defendant Benjamin Brewer, the driver who plowed his tractor-trailer truck into slowed traffic in 2015, leading to the death of six people, in a previous hearing.

The trial of a truck driver charged with killing six people under the influence has been moved to late September.

Criminal Court Judge Don Poole today reset Benjamin Brewer's trial date to Sept. 25.

Brewer, 41, was supposed to go to trial Monday, but Poole canceled that date after public defenders found a second drug test of their client's blood with different results at the last minute.

Defenders argued that prosecutors should have turned it over since the discrepancies go to the heart of the state's case: Proving impairment was involved in the June 25, 2015, wreck on Interstate 75 that killed six and injured several others.

Prosecutors countered the second test still contained meth, and that a federal agency had requested it, making it outside the state's duty to hand over.

Poole asked attorneys to return June 27 to confirm the trial date.

He said he would begin contacting Davidson County to arrange a new out-of-town jury. The last one had to be scrapped after Poole cancelled the trial date.

Brewer, who faces 13 charges in connection with the crash, remains in Hamilton County Jail.

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