Pre-trial conference set for Lindstedt

Nearly three years have passed since perennial candidate Martin Lindstedt was arrested in Newton County for statutory sodomy. If things go as planned, and nothing has in Lindstedt's case, a pre-trial hearing will be held 10:30 a.m. Tuesday before Judge John LePage in Newton County Circuit Court.
Lindstedt's case has been delayed while he underwent psychological evaluations and has already gone through four judges.

Lindstedt has run for every office from East Newton R-6 Board of Education to U. S. Senator, and has also filed numerous lawsuits, including ones against several of the judges who have been involved in this case, the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the Missouri Southern State College Board of Regents, the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, and most famously, against Governor Matt Blunt.

It was only two years ago that Lindstedt's lawsuit against the governor was rejected by a federal judge. Lindstedt ran against Blunt in the Republican primary for governor in 2004. Blunt was serving as secretary of state at the time and refused to provide a link to Lindstedt's homepage on the secretary of state's website due to racist content.

In his lawsuit, Lindstedt contended that was an illegal decision. He was also irritated by Blunt's refusal to allow him to use the nickname "Martin 'Lawsuit' Lindstedt" on the ballot. As a solution to the problem, Lindstedt suggested that Blunt be required to run on the November 2004 general election ballot under the name "Matt 'Runt" Blunt." For some reason, Judge Richard Dorr did not agree to this.