Trial for Washington state police officer shooting delayed

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The trial of a man charged with shooting and blinding a Washington state police officer has been delayed by up to two to three months.

The Skagit Valley Herald reported Tuesday that new potential evidence was discovered in the case of 46-year-old Ernesto Lee Rivas.

Rivas is charged with two counts of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

Rivas' trial was scheduled to begin with jury selection Wednesday, but prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to a continuance of several weeks Tuesday after receiving new video footage from Rivas' home security system.

Authorities say Rivas shot Mount Vernon Police Officer Michael McClaughry in the head during a December 2016 standoff with law enforcement in the city 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Seattle.