"Guilty." (Err, wait, I didn’t mean that)

When a person pleads "Guilty" in court, should it mean anything except that the vocal chords of the defendant are still in working order?

Marco Villegas was arrested on two separate window-peeping charges in Woodstock. As happens with all almost all cases in McHenry County Courts, they drag and drag. Finally, in December Villegas pled Guilty in the first case. The other case was scheduled for trial in February.

The public has little idea how much fancy footwork goes on in the court system and how much time is wasted. In the first case on January 14, 2009, he demanded a jury trial. Why wasn’t it scheduled promptly and held? Instead, every month there was a delay. Then in December he pled Guilty. And then, before the end of December, he retracted his Guilty plea and now he wants a trial.

The second case was set for trial on February 9, after months of the usual delays. Now the first case is set also for February 9.

How does that really work in court? When two similar charges are being tried on the same date before the same judge, are they tried separately, since different victims were involved?

Why do judges tolerate such abuse of the court’s time? Why not set a trial date? Tell attorneys that they will get one continuance apiece and then the trial will be held. If the prosecution isn’t ready, the case will be dismissed. If the defense isn’t ready, the defendant will be convicted. Put the onus on the attorneys to stop delaying the cases with requests for continuance and continuance.

If a guy gets caught in the act of window-peeping – twice!, what is there left to do, except try him? What? He was making a mistake, peeping into someone’s house? His nose got frozen to the glass?

How many more cases are there in McHenry County Courts where this type of nonsense of delay after delay exists? Plenty!