A Lyon County criminal case involving charges of rape and aggravated indecent liberties has a new court date and a new judge.
Dennis Ray Torrence had asked unsuccessfully for Judge Laura Miser to recuse herself from the case after stating he doesn’t believe he can have a fair trial with Miser presiding because Miser had worked an earlier case involving Torrence while she was an assistant Lyon County prosecutor. In reassigning the case to Judge Lee Fowler, Lyon County Chief Judge Jeff Larson said the defense affidavit requesting a new judge did not allege any bias or prejudice in the current case, but Torrence believes there was bias based on Miser’s involvement in the earlier case.
Torrence, who has been charged with two counts of rape and two of aggravated indecent liberties for alleged activity with a child under the age of 14, will now have a pretrial hearing June 1.
