A sexual assault case will head to trial next month in Grand Forks.
Ted Sandberg, attorney for Lance Barrett Billings II, informed Grand Forks District Court Judge John Thelen that they were prepared to go to trial during a final dispositional conference Wednesday afternoon. Brittney Blake, assistant state's attorney, said the trial is set to begin Jan. 5.
Billings, 31, faces felony charges of gross sexual imposition, aggravated assault and interference with telephone during an emergency call after he allegedly choked his then-girlfriend before forcibly raping her in July 2014, according to Herald archives. He also allegedly removed the battery from the victim's cellphone, and after she tried calling authorities using his phone, he took it away and hung up before dispatchers could answer.
Billings was in a Nebraska prison earlier this year before he was transported back to North Dakota by Grand Forks County Sheriff's deputies, according to Herald archives.
If convicted, Billings could spend life in prison without parole for gross sexual imposition, a Class AA felony.
