Senior District Judge G.D. Carey ruled Wednesday afternoon that the John Bujak misuse of public funds case Carey is presiding over will not be joined with subsequent charges that he falsified evidence in that original case.

Carey, who heard arguments Friday on the prosecution’s motion for joinder, said although the cases are related, combining them would not appreciably increase judicial efficiency and could confuse the jury – especially since Bujak has different public defenders in the two cases, which currently have separate trial dates.

Former Canyon County Prosecutor Bujak, who is accused of siphoning $236,000 from a contract to use county resources to handle Nampa misdemeanor cases, has two public defenders in that case, which is set for trial in Carey’s courtroom Oct. 29.

This summer, Bujak was charged with preparing false evidence and computer crime in connection with an email document, anonymously faxed to the special prosecutor in his case, that if genuine would refute part of the county’s case against Bujak. The trial on those two charges is set for Nov. 26, and public defender Elizabeth Allen has said she would not have sufficient time to prepare if that case was moved to the earlier date set aside for the misuse of public funds case, according to Carey’s ruling.