A judge has set a Friday hearing to consider the county’s request for demolishing the rest of the collapsed building on South Wyoming Street.
The building’s owner, Neil “Joe” Lynch Jr., was scheduled to appear before Butte District Judge Brad Newman last month. He was to make his case on why the county should not be allowed to access his property at 750 S. Wyoming St., tear the rest of the building down and give him the bill.
But Lynch filed a motion asking for a different judge, something a defendant can do once in such cases without giving any reason for wanting the substitution. Butte District Judge Kurt Krueger declined the case so Newman asked Judge Loren Tucker to oversee it.
Tucker set the hearing for 1 p.m. Friday in Butte District Court.
The county filed a court action on Nov. 10 saying the remaining building is a public nuisance, the bricks and debris from the collapse on June 28 are obstructing the public right-of-way and asbestos in the rubble is a potential public health risk.