Driving hearing put off for suspect in Virginia student's disappearance

By John Clarke (Reuters) - A court hearing on reckless driving charges against the suspect in the disappearance of a University of Virginia student was postponed on Thursday, the suspect's attorney said. Jesse Matthew, 32, of Charlottesville has been charged in the disappearance of college sophomore Hannah Graham, 18, who was last seen on Sept. 13 with Matthew. The case has shaken the community and drawn national attention to the university town in central Virginia. Police have said forensic evidence links Graham's case to the disappearance of female Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, whose body was found in 2010. Police had charged Matthew with two counts of reckless driving when he shook off pursuing officers. The hearing in Albemarle General District Court was moved to Dec. 1, said Matthew's attorney James Camblos in a telephone message. Matthew has been charged with abduction with intent to defile in the Graham case. A Thursday bond hearing was moved to Dec. 4 at Camblos' request. In a statement on Wednesday, Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, said Matthew had quit their football team five days after a report of an on-campus sexual assault in 2003. He attended the university from January to Oct. 15, 2003, and was on the football team from Aug. 14 to Sept. 12, it said. There was a report of an on-campus sexual assault on Sept. 7, 2003, the university said. It did not name Matthew, citing state privacy laws, but said "students don't usually leave in the second month of the semester or leave the football team within a month." Matthew was also the main suspect in a campus rape investigation while attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 2002, a prosecutor said last week. No charges were filed against Matthew. Drone aircraft are being used in the search for Graham, which has drawn hundreds of volunteers and police on the ground. The search is the first time the Federal Aviation Administration has allowed Virginia police to use the unmanned aerial vehicles. Charlottesville in February became the first U.S. city to pass an anti-drone resolution. The FAA decision does not directly affect that legislation, which limits drone use. (Writing by Ian Simpson; Editing by Gunna Dickson)