ANCHORAGE, Ala., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Alaska has rejected a change of venue request in a weapons trial for militia leader Schaeffer Cox.
Cox and co-defendants Coleman Barney and Lonnie Vernon are charged with possession of illegal weapons.
Barney's attorney, Tim Dooley, requested the trial -- scheduled to begin in spring 2012 -- be moved from Anchorage to Fairbanks, where the alleged crime took place. He said potential witnesses are closer to Fairbanks and said cultural differences between the two cities could prevent his client from getting a fair trial, the Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner reported Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan said Monday it was too early to know about the location of potential witnesses. He said he prefers the better security the Anchorage courtroom offers.
"The plaintiff refers to various activities and veiled threats that reasonably raise security concerns," he said.
Bryan said he may decide to move the trial in the future after speaking with the U.S. Marshals Service about security.
Charges in an alleged plot to kill Alaska state troopers were dropped against the three men after a judge said recordings made without a warrant by an FBI informant were inadmissible in state court.
