San Diegan Faces Trial in Boy’s Death

LAS VEGAS — A San Diego computer programmer was ordered Wednesday to stand trial in the slaying of a 7-year-old boy, who was abducted from a casino arcade on the Nevada-California border.

Justice of the Peace Dan Ahlstrom set a June 14 arraignment for Howard Haupt after a preliminary hearing in which he found there was enough evidence to order Haupt to trial.

Haupt, who is free on bail, was arrested earlier this year in San Diego and charged with murder in the slaying, which occurred in November.

The youth’s body was found more than a month after he was killed under a trailer on the Whiskey Pete’s casino property just inside the border on Interstate 15.

Two casino employees identified Haupt as the man they saw with Harris shortly after he disappeared.

Harris’ mother and grandparents had stopped at the casino on the way back to their Northern California home and were gambling in the casino when the boy was abducted from a video arcade gallery.