CLEVELAND — Lawyers for a man accused of killing a postal worker in Warren want to postpone a witness interview set for next week, blaming money problems and travel troubles caused by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
The defendants, Thomas Sledge, 44, of Youngstown, and Kaprise Sledge, 24, of Warren, are set for a Feb. 17, 2026, trial date for the March 2, 2024, shooting death of Jonte Davis, a 33-year-old mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.
The notice was filed by attorneys representing Thomas Sledge in the courtroom of United States District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent.
Lawyers for Thomas Sledge asked to delay a deposition where lawyers question a witness under oath that was planned for Nov. 17. A pre-trial date had been set for Dec. 18.
The lawyers argued in court documents that the shutdown has stopped payments to defense teams under a program called the Criminal Justice Act. Funding for that ran out in early July, and back pay expected in October got delayed. They also expressed worry about staff from the Federal Public Defender’s office, who might be sent home without pay because court funding ended Oct. 17. Plus, big delays and cancellations in flights across the country make travel hard and unreliable.
