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A Leon County judge is delaying a decision about whether or not to drop criminal charges against former House Speaker Ray Sansom and two co-defendants. The three are facing charges for scheming to use six million state dollars to build an airplane hanger for personal use. As Whitney Ray tells us, the defendants say there’s no proof that they were planning a plot.

Former House Speaker Ray Sansom and his two co-defendants entered this Leon County courtroom Wednesday to ask a judge to drop their criminal charges. The three were indicted by a grand jury for planning to build an airplane hanger using state dollars, by disguising the project as college classroom space.

The prosecution says Sansom mislead members of the legislature because they didn’t know the money would be used to build an airplane hanger. The defendants, Sansom, former college president Bob Richburg, and developer Jay Odom, claim they never planned to use the building as a hanger. Sansom’s Attorney Steve Dobson told the judge leasing the hanger would have been out of their hands.

“Ray Sansom could not have leased Jay Odom that property. Dr. Richburg could not have leased Jay Odem that property,” said Dobson.

State Attorney Willie Meggs says email in the case shows otherwise.

“Paragraph two. A lease will need to be developed between Odom and the college for Jay to use some of the facility as a commercial FBO (Fixed Based Operation),” Meggs read from a copy of the email.

When the court recessed for lunch none of the defendants would discuss the case. It was clear they were uncomfortable around the cameras. The judge is asking both sides for more paper work. He’s plans to have a decision by next Wednesday.