Trial for Rochester man accused of shooting teenager begins with quarrel over testimony
Steven Allen Hart - Olmsted County Adult Detention Center
(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man’s shooting trial is marked with disagreement over the eligibility of the defense’s witnesses.
The trial of Steven Allen Hart, 67, began with jury profiling and selection Monday, Oct. 2. Hart was accused of shooting a 15-year-old in the groin on March 13, 2022, after several teens allegedly ran through Hart’s backyard and Hart followed them into the OMC parking lot across the street.
The teenagers and Hart agree that the alleged victim pulled a pocket knife out ahead of the shooting, but Hart claims the juvenile charged at him, while the teens claim Hart was threatening them with a gun and the child did not move.
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According to Olmsted County Court documents filed Sunday and Monday, Oct. 1 and 2, the state’s prosecutors object to proposed testimony from former police officer Allen Garber of Mankato, who was not directly involved in the investigation.
Hart’s trial was previously delayed in February, after Garber claimed that Rochester police concluded themselves that Hart shot the juvenile, and may not have investigated thoroughly as a result.
The state contests that Garber’s testimony is irrelevant at best, and “inappropriate vouching testimony” at worst.
According to court documents, the defense and prosecution have also disagreed about the admissibility of information about the juveniles’ previous actions on the night of March 13, 2022, the state of a bus stop they allegedly vandalized, the alleged victim’s medical history, and Hart’s sobriety.