Mower County District Court Judge Fred Wellmann denied a motion by former Albert Lea City Manager Jim Norman’s lawyer Friday asking for a judgment of acquittal on her client.

Norman’s lawyer, Peggy Rockow, argued that the prosecution had not provided enough evidence for the jury on all of the charges against her client and said she thought the judge should direct a not guilty verdict on each.

The motion came after all of the prosecution’s witnesses had given testimony on the case and prosecutor Brenda Miller, of the Waseca County Attorney’s Office, stated they rested on the case.

Miller argued in response that there had been sufficient evidence provided, warranting the case to still go forward to the jury.

Because Wellmann denied the motion, the case will move forward to the jury.

It is unclear whether there will be any defense witnesses as the judge dismissed the jury early for lunch while the lawyers continued to finalize jury instructions.

The trial is slated to start up again at 12:30 p.m.

The lawyers and Wellmann had already been discussing jury instructions in the judge’s chambers for at least an hour and a half before the lunch break.