Wednesday a judge heard pre-trial motions in the case against former Bill Clinton aide Betsey Wright. Wright faces
51 counts of trying to smuggle a knife, needles and other contraband into a prison last May.
During the hearing Wright said she didn't do it but the State of Arkansas says she did. Among the items she's accused of trying to smuggle in are tattoo needles in a Doritos bag that Wright says she found in the vending machine.
"Attempting to introduce a prohibited article one being a pocket knife that was on a key chain and a box cutter on a key chain," Deputy Prosecutor, Cymber Tadlock said.
Wright's attorney Jeff Rosenzweig asked the court to allow him to get a video taped deposition from a witness and convicted death row inmate Don Davis whom Wright was there to visit when the incident happened.
"He is as noted on the motion set to be executed on April 12th which would obviously assuming no stay is granted would make him unavailable in late May," Rosenzweig said.
The prosecutor agreed to that and several other motions, they won't introduce a video of the alleged smuggling incident or bring into testimony an incident in which Wright lost visitation rights when prison officials said she refused a search. And they granted the defense access to two years worth of records on any other smuggling cases at prisons.
With all of these pretrial motions out of the way this paves the way for Wight to head to trial. On May 25th Wright will be back in court to face these felony charges.
Betsey Wright is considered a death penalty activist, however, her relationship with the death row inmate Don Davis at the time she was accused of trying to smuggle in contraband is unclear. Wright is well known for serving as Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff when he was governor of Arkansas.
