COLUMBIA (WACH) - Zinah Jennings appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing Wednesday morning. Nineteen exhibits including the pictures and State Law Enforcement Division documents were presented during the hearing.
Columbia police officer George Wise with the crime scene unit and Jaime Gunter, the dog handler who searched Jennings' car, were interviewed.
According to the initial police report, the dog search was conducted at the Jennings' residence. When the dog handler testified Wednesday, Gunter said they searched the vehicle at the police department. Gunter could not remember the exact day the search was conducted.
Jennings' attorney, Hemphill Pride, said that Gunter is not a credible person to interview during the trial, but the judge ruled that both the officer and the handler will be allowed to be interviewed during the trial.
During the hearing, several pictures of inside Jennings' car and trunk of the car were shown.
Wise says his search was conducted after the dog searched the vehicle. Baby wipes, a bloody blanket, a comforter and linens were found inside Jennings' trunk. The backseat contained miscellaneous trash, such as chip bags, but officers only removed items out of the trunk of Jennings' vehicle.
DNA tests were conducted on the blood found on items in Jennings' trunk in January, and authorities with the police department believe it is Amir Jennings' blood.
Amir Jennings, who would have been 2-years-old in June, has been missing since last November.
Jennings' trial on the unlawful conduct toward a child charge is set for Aug. 27. Judge Knox McMahon previously said he plans to call an extensive pool of possible jurors in the case due to the fact that it has received such intense media coverage.
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