A murder-for hire trial has been put on hold while police seek a man wanted as a material witness in the case.
The trial of Aaron Michael Hahn on a solicitation of murder charge, which was originally set for Monday, was delayed during a hearing in Clallam County Superior Court on Thursday, and a hearing was set for today to review the status of the case.
Hahn is accused of attempting to solicit the murder of a Sequim girl he was charged with sexually exploiting.
He is being held in the Clallam County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
In July, the 29-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Nine other counts, including stalking and third-degree child rape involving an under-age girl, were dropped as part of the agreement.
Hahn was originally set to be sentenced today on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, but that was delayed during a hearing Wednesday.
On Thursday, a warrant was issued for Norman “Buddy” L. Livengood, 30, who was last seen in the Carlsborg area, because he is wanted as a witness in the murder-for hire case.
Prosecutors asked the court to delay Hahn’s trial until Livengood is found.
Court documents do not say what prosecutors expect Livengood’s testimony would be.
Livengood is about 5-feet,11-inches tall and 180 pounds. He has one “lazy” eye and both of his arms are fully tattooed.
He was last seen driving a gold 1990s Honda Accord with tinted windows and chrome wheels.
An alert from the Sequim Police Department warns people not to approach Livengood, but to call 9-1-1 immediately if he is spotted.
The solicitation for murder case is separate from the sexual exploitation case.
According to the plea agreement for sexual exploitation, the sentence recommended by prosecutors is 31 to 41 months in prison, three years of probation and the requirement to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
In that case, court documents say that the girl told the Sequim Police Department in March 2008 that she had a relationship with Hahn that began online when she was 14.
According to the certification of probable cause, the girl’s parents found out about the relationship when she was 15 and tried to cut it off.
The girl told police that Hahn would scare her when she tried to end the relationship.
Hahn was served with a protection order in March 2008.
He was later arrested in Castle Rock in southwest Washington when Sequim police arranged a false meeting with the girl.
Police allege that he attempted to solicit someone to kill the same girl that he was accused of sexually exploiting.
Prosecutors had previously requested that the two cases be joined, but Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brooke Taylor denied that action.
Original bail for the sexual exploitation charges was $75,000.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.