Pretrial hearing in Tennis Maynard case rescheduled

The man charged with killing Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum won’t be back in court until next month.

A pretrial motions hearing in the Tennis Maynard case, originally set for Tuesday, has been rescheduled for Nov. 6.

Maynard, of Delbarton, has either been hospitalized or in jail since the April shooting in a Williamson parking lot. Crum was shot and killed while sitting in his cruiser.

A change in prosecutors likely contributed to the delay for the next hearing. Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants was appointed special prosecutor a few weeks ago replacing now former Mingo County Prosecutor Michael Sparks.

Sparks originally took himself off the case for an “emerging conflict of interest.” It was later learned Sparks was part of a conspiracy to help protect the reputation of Sheriff Crum in a drug case. Sparks was named in a federal charge last week, he resigned and the state Supreme Court took away his law license.

Cabell County Circuit Judge Paul Farrell is presiding over the Maynard case. He has set a trial date for Dec. 9.