| Blount Manslaughter Trial Postponed Until Feb. 8 |
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AP – A federal judge has postponed the trial of man charged in the death of a Dutch bicyclist on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Wendell G. Blount, of Calhoun City, is charged with manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the April 22 death of Esther Hageman, a 51-year-old journalist from Leiden, Netherlands. Blount allegedly was under the influence of morphine when he hit the woman with his car. Trial had been set to begin next Monday, but Blount's attorney asked for a delay after receiving 100 pages of evidence to review. U.S. District Judge W. Allen Pepper reset the trial to Feb. 8 in Greenville. Blount faces federal charges because the scenic road is part of the National Parks system and is under federal jurisdiction. |