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Best Western Case Continued Until Nov. 30, ‘Tremendous Volume of Discovery’ Cited

By Jesse Wood

Mallatere
Mallatere

By the time the case involving the former Best Western hotel operator in Boone meets next in Watauga County Superior Court, nearly two years will have passed since Damon Mallatere was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of assault in relation to the three deaths linked to carbon monoxide poisoning at the hotel in 2013.

District Attorney Seth Banks said that the next administrative court date is set for Nov. 30. Mallatere was charged by Bank’s predecessor, Assistant District Attorney Britt Springer, following the return of an indictment from a grand jury on Jan. 8, 2014.

Banks said the case was continued upon a written motion of the defendant.

“The motion cited the defense attorney’s unavailability due to having cases scheduled in other counties as the reason for the request. Another factor taken into consideration was the tremendous volume of discovery that has been provided in this case,” Banks said in an email.

The case has been repeatedly continued since Mallatere entered an initial plea of not guilty and posted a $40,000 bond in February.

To read prior stories related to this tragedy, click here.