T-L photo/GAGE VOTA 23-year-old, Virginia native Sandton Browder appears in front of Belmont County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Berhalter for his pre-trial hearing of the alleged shooting and killing of another man in Bellaire in January.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – A trial date has been set in the case of a Bellaire man accused of shooting and killing another man in January.

Belmont County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Berhalter on Monday set a trial date of 8:30 a.m. Aug. 18 for 23-year-old Sandton Browder in Common Pleas Court.

On Monday morning, Browder’s attorney, Belmont County Public Defender Aaron Miller, asked that court to approve a $2,500 allocation for an investigator, Fred Boyd.

“I am granting your motion to approve an allocation of $2,500 upon the submission, and if you feel the need that the work he undertakes goes over that, I will reconsider if additional funds are needed,” Berhalter said.

Miller then made a motion for Berhalter to grant Boyd permission to visit Browder at the Belmont County Jail to discuss the case.

“We’re simply asking that our investigator be permitted to visit our client at the jail. Given the fact that he is not an attorney, we would ask that the sheriff’s department be ordered to permit our investigator there,” Miller said. “Obviously he would have to follow the same protocol as an attorney would in gaining access to Mr. Browder as part of the investigation.”

Berhalter confirmed that if granted permission, Boyd would be required to follow the same protocol as any attorney attending the jail.

He then asked Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan if the state had any objection in allowing him access to Browder. Flanagan said the state had no input on the issue, and Berhalter granted Miller’s motion.

He then asked both Miller and Flanagan if an Aug. 18 trial start date would work. Miller confirmed that the date would work for him while Flanagan said that the date would work but he believes there is a date around Aug. 18 that he would not be available.

“There is one date being in late August. However, that date has not been recorded, but I don’t think that it would be worthy, essentially, of moving an entire trial,” Flanagan said. “I did mention that to Mr. Miller earlier today but to put it on the record. I do believe that with the understanding that one date at some point around this time might be difficult to meet, but nonetheless, I would ask that we keep it on the trial date again scheduled for Aug. 18 at 8:30 a.m.”

Berhalter also set a pre-trial hearing for May 18 at 10 a.m.