Associated Press - July 22, 2009 5:34 PM ET

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The former owner of a defunct Kansas theme park has been ordered to stand trial on nine counts of securities fraud.

A Sedgwick County judge ruled Wednesday there is enough evidence to put Thomas Etheredge on trial.

Etheredge has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from his efforts to raise financing for the Wild West World park outside Wichita from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2007.

The judge's ruling followed a 3-day preliminary hearing in which witnesses alleged that Etheredge misrepresented his finances to amusement park investors.

His trial is scheduled for Sept. 14.

Information from KWCH-TV

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.