Gene Martin, owner of Gene Martin Auto Sales in Jemison, has been indicted on an additional charge of coercing two people to kill a witness to prevent the witness from testifying in court.

The indictment states that Martin “did solicit, command, induce and persuade” the two people to kill a witness “with intent to prevent his attendance or testimony in an official proceeding” between March 21 and April 28.

This new charge was added on to the previous indictment on March 14. A federal grand jury handed down the indictment on June 25, but details about the indictment were not released until Friday.

An arraignment on the new charges was held Wednesday. Martin is still being held in federal custody.

Martin, who was convicted of a felony, has been in federal custody ever since he was arrested March 21 on the original charges of a felon in possession of a firearm. He was accused of possessing three firearms and ammunition for the guns in June 2007 and October 2007.

A motion was granted last week to the defense for a continuation of the trial, which was supposed to begin July 28. No new trial date has been set.

Martin pleaded not guilty to the previous charges. No plea has been entered on the new charges as of Friday.