The trial for a Soldotna man accused of sexual abuse of a minor has been pushed back.
Michael Dean Hancock, 57, was initially indicted on Feb. 3 with one charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, a charge of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and three charges of unlawful exploitation of a minor for incidents that allegedly took place in 2006 and 2007, according to the indictment.
At that time, the former karate teacher was already in custody in Anchorage following an Anchorage grand jury indictment of 13 charges relating to the possession and distribution of child pornography in January.
In the local case, Hancock now faces only the first two charges of first-degree and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, according to online court records.
Hancock was in custody in Kenai for his Friday omnibus hearing.
At the hearing, Defense Attorney Bill Taylor said he has gotten most of the discovery related to the case, but needs more time to go through it. The defense is working on reaching a settlement on the case, he told the court.
Kenai Superior Court Judge Anna Moran moved Hancock’s trial call, previously set for June, back to August 4.
Hancock’s former business, Peninsula Martial Arts on Kalifornsky Beach Road in Soldotna, has been closed since late December.
Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.
