New trial date set for man accused of shooting Mount Vernon officer

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A new trial date has been set for the man accused of shooting a Mount Vernon police officer in 2016.

The Skagit Valley Herald reports that 46-year-old Ernesto Lee Rivas faces charges related to a Dec. 15, 2016, standoff with law enforcement that left officer Michael "Mick" McClaughry blind after he was shot in the head.

The trial is set for July 31.

Rivas faces two counts of attempted murder — one for the alleged shooting of McClaughry and one for the shooting that officers had gone to Rivas' home to investigate — and four counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

His scheduled May 29 trial was postponed the day before it was set to begin because of new potential evidence presented to prosecutors and Rivas' lawyers.

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Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com

Associated Press