Preliminary hearing for Gier set in January

A preliminary hearing for Larry Joe Gier Jr. has been scheduled for Jan. 5-6, 2012, following a status conference in Bourbon County District Court on Monday before District Judge Rebecca Stephan, according to the court calendar and Kansas Attorney General's Office.

Gier, 41, of Redfield, was arrested on May 9 for his alleged involvement in the 1998 murder of Fort Scott resident Gregory O. Hines. Gier has been charged with second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the death of 48-year-old Hines, who went missing in August 1998 from his residence at 716 S. Judson.

The county attorney's office asked the Kansas Attorney General's Office to step in on the case. Prosecuting is Assistant Attorney General Kristiane Gray. Pittsburg attorney Geoffrey Clark is the defense attorney, replacing Harry Warren who withdrew from the case.

The preliminary hearing will offer a chance for attorneys to present the evidence they have in the case and the judge will set it for trial.