A special prosecutor has been appointed for the Tamika Pledger trial, scheduled Feb. 6 in Wyandotte County District Court.
The action was taken because of conflicts with the current administration and past administration, a spokesman for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office said today.
James Spies will serve as a special prosecutor in the case, according to the announcement.
Jonathan Carter, a spokesman for District Attorney Mark Dupree, said they are not going into the details of why a special prosecutor was appointed, just that there were conflicts.
Pledger, a community activist, during the last election campaign put up campaign signs for Dupree. Pledger was running for a Unified Government Commission, 1st District at large, office at the time of her accident. In the Jan. 30, 2015, accident at 13th and Troup, Pledger was charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery. A teenager died after the accident.
Pledger also had a case in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., in which she filed suit against a Wyandotte County District Court judge.
According to U.S. District Court documents, the federal court ruled Jan. 6 of this month that Pledger’s case against the state judge would be dismissed. The federal court stated the judge is entitled to immunity, the federal court lacked subject matter jurisdiction, and the complaint failed to state a claim.
Pledger also filed a petition to the Kansas Court of Appeals in 2015. In her petition, she brought up several questions about her case, including that a lot of youths were in the street fighting and blocking traffic, contributing to the accident, and that there were tire marks left by another vehicle obstructing traffic that were not mentioned in the accident report.