SPRINGFIELD -- A Hampden Superior Court judge on Wednesday refused a defense lawyer's request to postpone the case of retired city police officer Kevin Burnham yet again.

Judge Mark D. Mason heard defense lawyer Charles E. Dolan and lawyers from the state Attorney General's Office at sidebar regarding Dolan's request to continue.

Mason then reported in open court that he considered Dolan's impounded motion to continue today's trial date a fifth time but would not allow it.

Mason sent the case to the trial session of Judge John Agostini, but noted Agostini does not start his trial session until June 5. Agostini will have other cases in his session so he would set a schedule for his cases. It was not immediately clear when during that session Burnham's trial would begin.

Before the sidebar conference Mason asked if the case would be a plea or trial.

Dolan spoke for a moment with Burnham and then told Mason he didn't have authorization to speak as to Burnham's intent in the case.

Burnham, a 43-year-veteran of the police force, was accused of taking evidence room money for over four-and-a-half years. His trial was originally scheduled for October 2016, and has been postponed several times.

Burnham pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of larceny at his arraignment in January 2016. Charges were brought by the state attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, after a lengthy investigation of the then-66-year-old retired officer.

Burnham was charged with six counts of larceny over $250 and one count of larceny under $250. He was released on his own recognizance at his arraignment with conditions that he surrender his passport, not leave the state without permission from the probation department, turn his firearms over to Dolan and turn his firearms license and FID card over to Police Commissioner John Barbieri.

Burnham was accused of stealing the cash from envelopes stored in the evidence room. The money had been seized in the course of investigations involving 162 defendants, according to a spreadsheet released by the attorney general's office in connection with the case. The alleged thefts, beginning Dec. 4, 2009, ranged from as little as $11 to tens of thousands of dollars.

Burnham retired in the summer of 2014.

According to Attorney General Maura Healey's office, in some instances, Burnham allegedly "shorted" the cash count by taking money when he recounted it. Burnham also allegedly replaced money he stole from various evidence envelopes with previously seized counterfeit money or with newer money that was put into circulation after the original seizure date.

This is a developing story that will be updated as information becomes available.