Judge may throw R. Kelly in jail
CHILD PORN CASE | Also threatens tour ban after singer misses court date
The judge presiding over R & B superstar R. Kelly's child pornography case is considering jailing the singer or prohibiting him from touring.
Judge Vincent Gaughan threatened the restrictions Thursday on Kelly after the singer missed a court appearance Wednesday morning. As Kelly stood before the bench with his lawyers Thursday, Gaughan told him, "I'm very disappointed."
Kelly is already getting a break by being allowed to travel around the country, Gaughan said. Kelly, 40, is currently on a national tour, with an appearance at the United Center scheduled for tonight and 16 tour dates after that.
"I'm telling you, these are extraordinary matters to have this break given to yourself, and then nobody shows up except your attorneys," Gaughan said.
Gaughan is scheduled to hear arguments today on whether Kelly's bond should be revoked.
He will also set a trial date today, he said.
Assistant State's Attorney Shauna Boliker noted Kelly's court appearance was originally set for Tuesday, but was switched to Wednesday to accommodate him. She asked Gaughan to revoke Kelly's bond because of the "brazenness" of his behavior.
Defense lawyer Ed Genson said Kelly had made more than 100 court appearances, and had asked for permission to travel out of town 30 times. "He has not violated Your Honor's trust with respect to those times," Genson said.
A representative from the court's pretrial services department said Kelly has been "in compliance" with the terms of his bond. The singer is currently free on $750,000 bond.
Kelly, of Olympia Fields, missed Wednesday's court date because the Utah Highway Patrol stopped his tour bus for several hours, according to Genson.
The singer was on his way back from a Sacramento concert, and a snow storm contributed to the delay, Genson said Wednesday.
Kelly is charged with child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl estimated to be 13 or 14. He has pleaded not guilty in the case, which has been pending since 2002.