Connecticut judge refuses to drop corruption charges against Hartford mayor, but delays case

By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press Writer September 4, 2009

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In this Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009 file photo, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez speaks at a news conference at City Hall in Hartford, Conn. Perez, already scheduled to go on trial on bribery charges, said Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 a state judge had signed a new arrest warrant accusing him of wrongdoing involving a former state lawmaker. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

HARTFORD, Conn.

A Connecticut judge has rejected Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez's request to drop corruption charges against him.

But Hartford Superior Court Judge Julia DiCocco Dewey agreed Friday to delay the case until at least February because of pretrial publicity.

Perez was arrested in January on charges he accepted a bribe from a city contractor. He also was charged on Wednesday with trying to extort money from a developer. He denies all the allegations.

Perez's lawyer, Hubert Santos, argued that by releasing the warrants for Wednesday's arrest, prosecutors violated a state Supreme Court order that sealed the details of the grand jury investigation.

Santos said Perez can't get a fair trial on the charges filed in January. Jury selection in that case was scheduled to start next week.