A trial date has been set for the last of six suspects charged in the August 2007 shooting spree on Basswood Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Matthew Bernard Urbas will receive a jury trial, scheduled to start Jan. 26 in Lake County Court.
Judge Kenneth Sandvik ordered the trial date set after the case had been delayed for several months, most recently by a change in attorneys representing Urbas.
Urbas, now 18, was 16 at the time of the incident and was technically arrested and charged under juvenile laws. But the case was waived into the Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction which essentially treats him as an adult. If found guilty, he could be incarcerated until he turns 21.
Attorneys in the case also could reach a plea agreement before the trial date.
ADVERTISEMENT
Urbas is charged with 23 felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor charges stemming from the incident. According to court records, Urbas told law enforcement officers after his arrest that he had been drinking and that the group of six harassed campers in an effort at "defending his territory" -- meaning the BWCAW -- against people who were "taking it away."
Hundreds of shots were fired from an assault rifle and other guns, and large mortar-like fireworks were discharged near campsites. Some of the suspects screamed obscenities and threats at men, women and children camped on the lake. No one was hurt.
According to court documents, Laura Auron, assistant Lake County attorney, said Urbas "fired guns repeatedly and made some of the most disturbing and threatening statements to'' campers that night.
Prosecutors say more than 80 campers were in the area of the shootings, with more than 20 directly affected by the men's actions. Some campers say they feared for their lives.
All five men who were adults on the night of the crime have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to terms ranging from probation to three years in state prison. They may yet face federal and Canadian charges in the incident.
