Opinion
No. 08-30170-DRH.
April 4, 2011
ORDER
Now before the Court is the Government's April 4, 2011 motion to continue trial (Doc. 481). The Government moves to continue the trial as two codefendants, Sandra Clarke and Juan Solis, remain fugitives and their whereabouts are unknown. Clearly, the Court finds that under the circumstances a continuance is warranted. Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(3)(A), the Court GRANTS the motion to continue (Doc. 481). The Court CONTINUES the jury trial scheduled for April 18, 2011 to Monday, July 11, 2011, at 9:00 a.m.
As noted in previous Orders, co-defendants Sandra Clarke and Juan Solis still remain fugitives and have not been arraigned. Because the Speedy Trial clock does not begin to run until the last co-defendant is arraigned, the 70-day window for conducting this trial has not yet come into play under the Speedy Trial Act. See United States v. Larson, 417 F.3d 741, 745 n. 1 (7th Cir. 2005) ("In the typical joint trial, the Speedy Trial clock begins when the last codefendant is arraigned.") (citing United States v. Baskin-Bey, 45 F.3d 200, 203 (7th Cir. 1995); Henderson v. United States, 476 U.S. 321, 323 n. 2 (1986); 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)); United States v. Souffront, 338 F.3d 809, 835 (7th Cir. 2003) (The Court found that the seventy-day clock commenced the day a fugitive — also the final co-defendant in the case — was arraigned). Thus, there is no need to account for excluded time due to trial delays, such as when a trial is continued.
Should either party believe that a witness will be required to travel on the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) in order to testify at the trial of this case, a writ should be requested at least two months in advance.