Included on a full docket of court cases before Nome Superior Court judge Romano DiBenedetto yesterday were several omnibus hearings for defendants such as Rayne Aukongak and Benjamin Milton, who face various charges of drug trafficking.
In most of the cases presided over before 9:30am, the outcomes were similar, with these phrases being repeated often in the courtroom by public defendants and Judge DiBenedetto:
Zachary Davies, public defender: “So I believe that discovery is complete, and we have an offer and we are discussing some resolutions. I would ask for a thirty-day continuance…”
Judge DiBenedetto: “May 18th omnibus, June 22 calendar call, June 26th trial week, terms and conditions remain until the next court date.”
As Judge DiBendetto explained during the court proceedings, omnibus hearings normally have two parts.
“Part one and two I ask the attorneys about, first of all, any motions that they have contemplated. Part two, I ask about whether discovery has been completed,” he said. “If you’re requesting a modification of conditions, you can contact his [the defendant’s] public defender, they can file a modification. You can also contact the District Attorney’s office, they will at times do it as well, but I’m not going to discuss conditions of release right now.”
So it stands that the next omnibus hearing for Rayne Aukongak, Michael Hahn, Benjamin Milton, and others will be May 18th with a calendar call on June 22nd. Their trials are set for each separate case during the week of June 26th.
