Wes Watkins' court appearance delayed until July

Monday, June 21st 2004, 5:50 am

By: News On 6

STILLWATER (AP) -- A scheduled court appearance for a former congressman facing two counts of negligent homicide after a fatal traffic accident has been postponed until next month.

According to court records, U.S. Rep. Wes Watkins' pretrial conference has been continued until 3:15 p.m. on July 19.

Watkins was originally scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon.

Watkins, 65, pleaded innocent last month to the two misdemeanor counts stemming from an April 19 crash that killed Brian Cullen, 32, and his 34-year-old wife, Ardith Cullen.

A civil lawsuit also has been filed against Watkins on behalf of the Cullens' three children.

Watkins' minivan struck the couple's 1992 Ford Taurus that had stopped to make a left turn, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported. The Cullens' car was pushed into oncoming traffic and was struck by a tanker truck and another vehicle.

Watkins, who served seven terms in the U.S. House, has said he didn't see brake lights or a turn signal on the Cullens' car, which was stopped in front of him on U.S. 177.

The misdemeanors would each carry a maximum of one year in jail, but District Attorney Rob Hudson has said he would probably seek probation.