Mlados faces February homicide trial

An Oconto Falls man will stand trial in February for his alleged role in the shooting death of a Green Bay teen. A jury trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 14 for Charles Mlados, 54, charged with first degree intentional homicide — party to the crime in the death of Chad McLean, 19, of Green Bay. According to a criminal complaint, Mlados acted as an accomplice to Peter Hanson, who allegedly pulled the trigger in February 1998. Mlados reportedly helped hide the body and the gun. The three men were in a shed at Hanson’s Abrams residence after a night of drinking when McLean was shot in the head, according to the complaint. Mlados also faces two counts of perjury for allegedly lying about the case to a judge at a John Doe hearing in November 2012. Door County Judge Peter Diltz, appearing via video conference, entered not guilty pleas for Mlados on all counts. Anticipating excessive publicity for the Hanson trial in December, Mlados’ attorney, George Pappas Jr., filed a change of venue motion. Diltz said he will wait until Dec. 27 to address the request. “The factors I’m going to have to consider for the change of venue will be impacted by the Hanson trial in December,” Diltz said. The trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 3. According to Clerk of Courts Michael Hodkiewicz, if the judge approves a change of venue, the trial may be moved outside Oconto County, or the jury may be selected from another county and brought to Oconto. In addition, the judge may sequester the jury to reduce jurors’ exposure to outside information relating to the case. Special prosecutor Vincent Biskupic estimated the jury pool to include 70 to 80 names for each man’s trial. He said jury OVERSET FOLLOWS:selection for the February trial, in the aftermath of the Hanson verdict, may involve extra questioning to select 12 jurors, plus alternates. Mlados was originally charged with perjury in March and appeared at a preliminary hearing in June; the homicide charge was added in July. His trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection Feb. 14. The remainder of the month has been set aside for the trial. Biskupic said “a good 40” witnesses are scheduled to testify at the Hanson trial, but fewer maybe called to the stand in the Mlados trial.