Helgerson, Nieto Trials Postponed

DAYTON – Columbia County Superior Court Judge Scott Gallina has postponed the trial of Levi Helgerson, of Dayton, who is charged with first degree assault of a child.

The trial was originally scheduled to begin this week, but was reset for November 2, and may last as many as eight days.

According to Columbia County Prosecutor Rea Culwell, problems with Columbia County’s jury notice system left the court with too few potential jurors for the trial. The judge agreed to delay the trial to allow recruitment of a full pool of potential jurors.

Helgerson, 24, is accused of severely injuring the infant son of a woman he was living with. The alleged crime took place in February 2014. He is currently out on bail.

The trial of Anthony Nieto, who is accused in a stabbing case in Dayton, was also rescheduled by Judge Gallina. He will stand trial beginning Sept. 9.

Nieto, 56, of Dayton, is accused of stabbing another man during a fight behind Woody’s Bar and Grill last November. He has been housed in the Columbia County Jail since his arrest.

Prosecutors originally thought that Nieto faced a mandatory “three strikes” life sentence, since he has previously been convicted of two serious felonies in California. However, County Prosecutor Rea Culwell said she has determined that, since Nieto was sentenced for both of the California convictions on the same day, by Washington law, they only count as one “strike.” So, if he’s convicted at trial, or enters into a plea agreement, Nieto’s sentence will likely be significantly less than life.