NEAH BAY – Five members of the Makah tribe charged with illegally killing a gray whale on Sept. 8 won’t have their day in federal court until next year.
Their trial in tribal court, however, could come more quickly.
Federal court-appointed attorneys for the men are scheduled to meet with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Oesterle and federal Magistrate J. Kelley Arnold at 3 p.m. today to set a new trial date.
The trial initially had been scheduled to begin today, but defense lawyers sought a continuance until spring.
Arnold has indicated that also would create problems, so a date “early-ish next year” was more probable, according to Kelly Miller, Arnold’s courtroom deputy.
“We just have some loose ends on when to reset it,” she said.
