Judge Alonzo Harris on Thursday denied accused kidnapper Mark J. Savoie's motion to move his trial to another parish.

Harris, after hearing testimony from Savoie and argument from his attorney Roy J. Richard, Jr. and Assistant DA Glen Marcantel, set jury selection in St. Landry Parish for July 7-8.

Harris allowed the defense to reserve the right to again raise the venue issue when jury selection begins.

Savoie is accused of abducting his then-estranged wife and two children from their Eunice home in December 2006, then leading police on a cross-parish chase that ended when he allegedly jumped from an Atchafalaya Basin bridge.

He avoided capture until January 2007. He bonded out of jail in November 2007 and in January 2008 filed a fedeal suit accusing St. Landry and Eunice officials of violating his rights. Status of that case is not known.

Richard contended that publicity to this point makes it unlikely, if not impossible, for his client to get a fair trial in the parish, saying the label "bridge-jumper" is indelibly linked to him.

Marcantel countered that with the exception of a January 2009 eunicetoday.com article and a January 2009 Eunice News article all other evidence submitted by the defense was more than a year old.

He said there's no evidence to indicate the public is generally aware of Savoie's case.

Harris agreed.