More delays in charter academy trial

If former mayor Tad Honeycutt and Steven Cox are to ever have their day in court, it won’t be any time soon.

The two men, who between them face 117 felony charges related to the financial transactions connected to the defunct California Charter Academy, were originally indicted in Sept. 2007.

At yet another of their pre-trial hearings on Thursday in Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court -- the third venue their hearings have taken place in -- the can was kicked down the street once again, with a new court date of Aug. 19 set.

Although earlier delays had to do with various Victorville and then Fontana judges passing off the hot potato of a case -- Honeycutt’s family have been involved in Victor Valley politics for decades, raising questions about various judges’ connections to them -- the current round of delays are a result of Cox changing attorneys.

Cox’s previous public defender, Earl Shinder, died of a gunshot wound in Apple Valley in November 2010, and his new attorney, public defender Gary K. Wynings, is in the process of trying to catch up.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Fermin has previously said that 52,000 pages of discovery and 456 exhibits had been presented to the grand jury in the case, and on Thursday, Fermin said that Wynings was “still going through discovery” and had requested additional documents from the DA’s office.

At the time of its collapse in Aug. 2004, CCA was the largest charter school in California, with 36 schools around the state. An audit, commissioned by the California Department of Education, and released in April 2005, accused CCA founder Cox, Honeycutt and others of misappropriating $23 million in state and federal taxpayer funds. The charges ultimately filed against Cox and Honeycutt center on an alleged $5.5 million in illegal transactions between the CCA and a for-profit subsidiary run by Honeycutt.

Honeycutt is charged with 15 counts of Misappropriation of Public Funds, 15 counts of Grand Theft, three counts of failure to file a state tax return and a single count filing a false tax return. If convicted, Honeycutt could face 20 years in prison.

Phelan resident Cox is charged with 56 counts of Misappropriation of Public Funds, 56 counts of Grand Theft and a single count of failing to file a tax return. If convicted, Cox faces up to 64 years in prison.

Honeycutt is the third member of his family to serve Hesperia as an elected official, serving a Hesperia City Councilman from 2000 to 2008. His father, Theron, was a councilman from 1991 to 1995. His mother, Kathleen, represented the 34th Assembly District in the California State Legislature from 1993 to 1994. Honeycutt was also active for years in Victor Valley Republican politics, raising funds that ultimately helped a number of elected officials into office.

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 760-956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Hesperia.Star.