Discovery disagreement highlights court hearing

EAU CLAIRE — A dispute between attorneys over discovery for an upcoming trial led the judge to order prosecutors to turn over all materials by May 24.

Lucas Wren, 45, faces charges of incest and first degree child sexual assault. During a status conference Thursday, Wren’s attorney said he is waiting on a response to his second supplemental demand for discovery.

Court records show prosecutors responded that they asked the defense investigator to “reach out to the Stillwater Police Department and all discovery has been provided.”

Discovery applies to most evidence in a criminal case. Defendants must be told what the charges are, and must be shown evidence against them. While the exact laws vary from state to state, each shares an intent to avoid what the American Bar Association called “‘trial by ambush,’ where one side doesn’t learn of the other side’s evidence or witnesses until the trial, when there’s no time to obtain answering evidence.”

Failure to hand over required evidence can result in a mistrial or even a conviction being overturned.

According to the criminal complaint, Wren abused a relative when she was approximately 8 years old. She didn’t initially report Wren’s actions, but decided to come forward after another relative made similar accusations. Police in Stillwater, Minn., brought the accusations to the attention of Eau Claire authorities.