MARQUETTE — The indictment scheduled in federal court for Hunter Allen Loos, who has been accused of killing a woman in late October, will be delayed after the U.S. District Court moved to grant a 30-day ends-of-justice continuance in the case due to COVID-19 and an ongoing competency evaluation.

The indictment in the Northern Division of the Western District of Michigan had originally been scheduled for Tuesday.

However, the 30-day ends-of-justice continuance was requested by the U.S. government in the case because “a quorum was not able to be obtained for the grand jury that was scheduled to sit in the Northern Division of the Western District of Michigan during the week of Nov. 16, 2020, due to the current public-health emergency involving the coronavirus,” court documents state.

The 30-day ends-of-justice continuance was needed because the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 requires that the “information or indictment must be filed within 30 days from the date of arrest or service of the summons” in a federal criminal prosecution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Without the continuance, an indictment would have needed to be held this month, as Nov. 30 is the 30th day from Loos’ arrest, according to court documents.

The matter of a competency examination for Loos, which the court ordered Nov. 9, was also part of the reason for the request, officials said.

“The defendant’s transport and evaluation will also be impacted by the pandemic travel restrictions for the Marshal’s Service prisoner transport,” court documents state.

Court documents state that Loos’ designation with the Federal Bureau of Prisons is for Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. It has not been confirmed how Loos will be transported there, court officials said.

Loos is accused of killing a woman on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community reservation in Chocolay Township on Oct. 30. Officials have filed a federal criminal complaint seeking to charge Loos with first-degree murder in relation to the incident, court documents show.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of death or imprisonment for life and/or a $250,000 fine.

Another status conference has been scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Dec. 1 via telephone.

Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.