Nearly 6 years later, R. Kelly has court date
CHILD PORN CASE | Judge sets trial for May 9
Next time, if R&B superstar R. Kelly believes he is running late for a court hearing, he believes he can fly to Chicago, despite his fear of flying.
Judge Vincent Gaughan told Kelly on Friday that he used to be so scared to fly, he would go to confession before ever getting in a plane, so he could understand Kelly's fear. But he did not want him to ever miss another court date or he might really revoke his bond and put him in jail.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
PHOTO GALLERY
Kelly avoids having bond revoked
Kelly has been out of jail awaiting trial for a staggering 5½ years on charges he videotaped himself engaging in various sex acts with an underage girl.
For the first time in the marathon case -- one of the slowest-to-trial sex crimes cases in the history of Cook County Circuit Court -- Gaughan on Friday set a firm trial date of May 9, which would have the trial starting just a month shy of the sixth anniversary of charges being filed.
Over the objections of prosecutors, Gaughan has let Kelly travel the country doing concerts over the last five years as pre-trial motions have dragged on. For the most part, Kelly has followed all of the rules about making it back to Chicago for court dates.
But this week, his bus was stopped for going 101 mph in Utah, and police there ordered the bus held because log books were not being kept. Kelly missed a Wednesday court date. Gaughan was furious about that and the speeding buses.
"If that bus ran into a school bus, can you imagine the impact? The impact would be just devastating." Gaughan said to Kelly.
Kelly, who rarely says much in court, told the judge, "I'd like to say I'm sorry for this whole incident, and next time, I would get a plane."
Gaughan denied prosecutors' requests to send Kelly to jail, saying he did not want to put Kelly's employees out of work during the holiday season and disappoint people who had bought tickets to his concerts. That allowed Friday night's concert at the United Center to proceed. However, Gaughan said Kelly must cancel a Jan. 13 concert in Hampton, Va., so he does not miss a Jan. 14 court date.
"You are a role model, whether you like it or not," Gaughan told Kelly. "People pay attention to your conduct and emulate it or not."
If any of Kelly's buses driving him to concert venues across the country are caught speeding, Gaughan said he would revoke his bond and send him back to jail.
"Be very careful," Gaughan told Kelly.
Gaughan also kept in jail over the weekend a woman who illegally took a picture of Kelly in court on her cell phone Thursday. In addition to being held in contempt of court, the woman was found to be in violation of her probation.