New trial set for ex-deputy

A judge has scheduled a second civil trial to start May 7 for a former Stanislaus County sheriff's deputy who claims he was wrongfully forced out of his job after suffering a series of injuries on duty.

Dennis Wallace sued the county, alleging Sheriff Adam Christianson discriminated against him. Wallace says he still can work as a deputy but that the sheriff and the county have not given him a chance to prove it. The first trial in Wallace's case ended in August with a hung jury. County officials say Wallace no longer can do the job without putting himself, his co-workers and the public at risk. The county's attorney argued in the trial that the case was about Wallace's inability to work as a deputy.

Aside from the trial, the judge also scheduled a motions hearing March 22 and a settlement conference April 15 in Stanislaus County Superior Court.