Second High Profile Trial to Begin in Bellefonte
By: Lynn Adler
Updated: June 18, 2012
BELLEFONTE, CENTRE COUNTY - The Sandusky case won't be the only high profile trial in Bellefonte this week.
The armed robbery trial of three Russian men is set to begin Monday morning at the Bellefonte courthouse.
The Centre County Sheriffs Department says one of the defendants, Dmitriy Litvinov, is threatening to kill the judge and District Attorney in his case as well as two other deputy sheriffs.
According to the Centre Daily Times, Litvinov allegedly told a cellmate he plans on shooting up the courtroom.
Litvinov and two other co-defendants, Maksim Illairinov and Anatoliy Veretnov are being tried for a string of violent armed robberies back in 2009 and 2010.
The Centre County Sheriff, Denny Nau, said the department says they aren't taking any chances and plans to beef up security at the Bellefonte courthouse, bringing in extra deputy sheriffs from out of the county to help deal with the extra security concerns.
"It's been characterized as potentially credible so I'm not sure when the information was even discovered. We found out about it last Wednesday."
This is the second trial for the Russian trio. A mistrial was declared in 2011 after a 4th defendant in the case plead guilty.
While the case has generated significant local media coverage, the Russian robbery trial is taking a backseat to the chaos of the Sandusky case, heading in to its second week of testimony.
With the Sandusky trial taking over much of the Bellefonte courthouse, the Russian robbery trial has been moved to the courthouse annex.
Sheriff Nau said he's been working in law enforcement in Bellefonte since 1967 and can't remember a time the courthouse has ever seen so much action at one time.
The armed robbery trial of three Russian men is set to begin Monday morning at the Bellefonte courthouse.
The Centre County Sheriffs Department says one of the defendants, Dmitriy Litvinov, is threatening to kill the judge and District Attorney in his case as well as two other deputy sheriffs.
According to the Centre Daily Times, Litvinov allegedly told a cellmate he plans on shooting up the courtroom.
Litvinov and two other co-defendants, Maksim Illairinov and Anatoliy Veretnov are being tried for a string of violent armed robberies back in 2009 and 2010.
The Centre County Sheriff, Denny Nau, said the department says they aren't taking any chances and plans to beef up security at the Bellefonte courthouse, bringing in extra deputy sheriffs from out of the county to help deal with the extra security concerns.
"It's been characterized as potentially credible so I'm not sure when the information was even discovered. We found out about it last Wednesday."
This is the second trial for the Russian trio. A mistrial was declared in 2011 after a 4th defendant in the case plead guilty.
While the case has generated significant local media coverage, the Russian robbery trial is taking a backseat to the chaos of the Sandusky case, heading in to its second week of testimony.
With the Sandusky trial taking over much of the Bellefonte courthouse, the Russian robbery trial has been moved to the courthouse annex.
Sheriff Nau said he's been working in law enforcement in Bellefonte since 1967 and can't remember a time the courthouse has ever seen so much action at one time.
