(Spirit Lake)– A Spirit Lake man has entered pleas of not guilty to charges against him in connection with a fatal shooting in July that claimed the life of a Worthington man.
The pleas were submitted in writing today (Monday) in Dickinson County District on behalf of 55-year-old Kenneth Neilson.
Neilson pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless use of a firearm and discharging a weapon in city limits.
A trial date hasn’t been set, but Neilson’s attorney, Jack Bjornstad, says it could happen as early as December.
According to court documents, Neilson told authorities he was cleaning a gun in his apartment in the Lakes Apartments building in the late afternoon of July 29th when he dropped it and it discharged, striking 53-year-old Marlin Lutterman of Worthington who was on the street below. He died a short time later.
