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GERING, Neb. (AP) -- A judge has approved a request to consolidate the trials of two auto dealership executives accused in the March disappearance of more than 80 vehicles from a Scottsbluff car lot.
Scotts Bluff County District Judge Leo Dobrovolny, who initially denied the move, dropped his concerns Thursday after prosecutors agreed not to introduce a recorded interview conducted with Fait at a Utah jail. The judge said using it in a joint trial could have hurt Allen Patch's chance of getting a fair trial.
Patch and Fait are scheduled for trial beginning Dec. 1 on charges of theft, attempted theft and certificate of title violations.
The missing vehicles, worth more than $2.5 million, were found in Utah, Wyoming, Las Vegas and Scottsbluff.
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Information from: KNEB-AM
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
