A motion for the judge in the manslaughter case of a former Punta Gorda police officer has been denied.
Lee Coel’s attorney filed a motion to have Judge Margaret Steinbeck removed from the case after she denied a change of venue.

Coel is charged in the 2016 shooting death of 73-year-old Mary Knowlton during a civilian training course at the Punta Gorda Police Department.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for September.