Defender asks for more time before trial

The trial for a man accused of causing the death of an Indian Creek High School teacher in a drunken driving accident will likely begin in mid-summer, said Senior Judge Viola Taliaferro. During a second hearing held Tuesday, Bryan "Mitch" Gooldy's public defender Stuart Baggerly said he had acquired his client's health documents and asked for more time to obtain depositions from a physician and police officer.\n"I would like to arrange a deposition that will shed some light on the morning of the accident," he said.\nGooldy is accused of driving while under the influence of drugs. Bloomington Police Department toxicology reports list cocaine, opiates and depressants as being in his system when he hit a vehicle driven by Kate Comiskey. \nComiskey was a 2002 IU graduate and teacher in Trafalgar, Ind. She was on her way to work Nov. 9, 2004, when Gooldy's vehicle crossed the center line on North Walnut Street and struck her car head-on. After being transported to Bloomington Hospital, Comiskey was pronounced dead from injuries incurred from the crash. \nThe next pre-trial conference is set for 10:30 a.m. June 7.\nGooldy might receive 40 years in prison for causing Comiskey's death if he pleads guilty to driving while intoxicated causing death and being a habitual offender.\nAccording to a March 21 Indiana Daily Student article, the prosecution offered the plea bargain during a hearing March 17. If Gooldy accepts it, he will receive 50 years in prison with 10 years suspended. It is unknown how long the deal will stay on the table.\nSo far, Gooldy has pleaded not guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated causing death, driving while under the influence of drugs and being a habitual offender.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Kelly Ginty at kginty@indiana.edu.