No Defendant, No Trial, Judge Says
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The trial of Richard Smyth, a Huntington Beach engineer accused of illegally exporting nuclear trigger devices to Israel, will not take place without him, according to a tentative order issued late Friday by U.S. District Judge Pamela Ann Rymer.
Smyth failed to appear for a court hearing Wednesday, and Rymer issued a bench warrant for his arrest. His family and attorney have not heard from him for several days, and his 30-foot sailboat is missing.
A motion was filed, asking to begin Smyth’s trial without him, but Rymer said: “The knowledge of the defendant is crucial. The attorney needs his client’s active participation in the case.”
The trial is scheduled for Tuesday.
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