Rutherford pre-trial conference continued

James Rutherford, the man allegedly assaulted by former Pocatello police detective Steven Westfall, has his pretrial conference continued for his misdemeanor charges Thursday.

Rutherford currently faces trespassing and resisting an officer charges. The misdemeanor charges stem from a July 10 incident in which Rutherford was asked to leave the IRS office in the OMNI Building on Fifth Avenue.

As shown on dashcam video, after Rutherford was escorted out of the building by police he appears to elbow an officer. He’s then bent over the hood of the patrol car. Shortly after, Westfall walks around from behind the officers and pins Rutherford’s head to the car. He then strikes Rutherford’s face with his elbow, keeping it in place for close to a minute.

Westfall was charged with unnecessary assault by a police officer. He has since pleaded not guilty and will head to trial in the future. He also resigned from the police on Aug. 10.

Rutherford’s next pretrial conference date has been set for Sept. 3.