OTTUMWA —
The trial of a man accused of robbing and killing the manager of a local business will take place sooner than expected.
Police allege Bruce Pollard Jr., 25, of Ottumwa, attacked Cinema X manager Kenneth McDaniel, 70, with a crowbar, killing him last March.
Court documents indicate the trial is set for 9 a.m. April 9. Until last month, it had been scheduled for the week after that.
Pollard is accused of committing a string of armed robberies in and around the downtown Ottumwa area. Authorities say during the robbery at the adult theater, he killed the victim, leaving him on the floor of the shop. A friend found the body the next morning. Police say they have the murder weapon.
In the other cases where he is charged, Pollard is accused of robbing an Ottumwa Sonic restaurant employee at gunpoint as well as robbing two people at gunpoint at a BP convenience store.
But even before those most recent charges, Pollard had a criminal record. He has been convicted of felony theft, aggravated misdemeanor theft and “violent disorderly conduct.”
Iowa Courts Online reports that in 2011, he was charged with assault upon a peace officer.
Pollard is still being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. He has been in the Wapello County Jail since March 15, 2012 on those other charges. It was May 30, 2012 when he was charged with the murder.
Ottumwa
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Bruce Pollard
Trial moved up a week in Cinema X murder
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