By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

WAKEENEY — Three and a half days into the first-degree murder trial of Scott Bollig, prosecutors have rested their case Tuesday following testimony from Dr. Lyle Noordhoek, board certified pathologist and medical examiner, who testified the death of the unborn child of Bollig and Naomi Abbott was due to an outside force.

“My conclusion was that this was not a natural miscarriage,” he said. He also testified the cause of the miscarriage was ingestion of the abortion inducing drug mifepristone.

Bollig is accused of secretly lacing pancakes Abbott was eating with the drug.

Following Noordhoek’s testimony, prosecutors closed their case, allowing the defense to begin calling witnesses, but before the first witness was called, Bollig’s attorney Dan Walter asked the court to dismiss two charges against Bollig.

Those two charges had been added after the initial charges had been filed after evidence allegedly surfaced that Bollig had communicated with an ex-girlfriend, Angel Abbott, about the pregnancy and was working with her to ensure the pregnancy was terminated without Naomi Abbott’s knowledge.

The defense argued “no evidence” of conspiracy had been presented during the prosecution’s case. Walter argued further that there was no proof the alleged conspiracy occurred in Trego County.

District Judge Glenn Braun, however, said “sufficient facts have been shown,” and the question is better in the hands of the jury.

One of the first witnesses to be called by the defense was Brandon Payne, EMS director of Trego County, who spoke with Abbott following the morning Bollig allegedly laced the pancakes.

“It is my belief she knew something was going on,” he said, telling the jury that morning her disposition was happier than it had been in the days before and that she made a special note to him of watching Bollig make the pancakes.

The defense also brought forward Linda Anderson, who also testified Abbott knew what was going on.

Anderson testified that her former husband, Steve Anderson, was friends with Naomi Abbott’s ex-husband, Ron Abbott. She further testified Ron Abbott and Steve Anderson had a conversation in her presence that alleged Naomi Abbott knew she was taking the mifepristone, but became frighted later and so blamed Bollig. Linda Anderson also claimed Ron Abbott had told her Naomi Abbott had put the pill in the pancakes.

However, that testimony was quickly refuted when Ron Abbott took the stand later.

“I don’t remember that conversation,” he said.

He also testified he had not told Steve or Linda he had helped Naomi Abbott in any way and she had never told him she had caused her own miscarriage. Ultimately, he said Linda Anderson’s story was not true.

The defense called Delbert Bollig, Scott’s father, to the stand, where he testified Dawn Chase, a dispatcher at the WaKeeney Law Enforcement Center, told him Naomi was guilty.

Chase testified shortly after disputing the claim.

“I don’t believe I ever said Naomi was guilty,” she said.

Wrapping up the witness for the defense Tuesday was Ashley Garza, WaKeeney assistant chief of police.

Garza worked with Naomi Abbott and testified that Naomi Abbott had felt Bollig was “coming along,” in his attitude to being a father following the alleged time the mifepristone had been ingested.

Prior to that, Garza testified, Bollig “wished she would fall down down the stairs and have a miscarriage,” a similar comment to others that came through testimony to have been said by Bollig.

Testimony will continue Wednesday at 9 a.m.