Totally wasn't expecting yet another continuance.
So the big 40 is going to be in the Jail of Fail.
One thing to remember, a continuance doesn't mean nothing happened at the hearing, it just means they're not done with pre-trial stuff. It *could* be that nothing happened, but it could also be that various motions were filed for collection of new evidence, depositions, etc., then the hearing ends with the continuance, just a "to be continued..." is all it means.
Kiwi lawyers please enlighten me, is there a limit to how many continuances Chris' case can receive before a judge has to make a verdict? Or can the state of Virginia just bounce him back and forth between a jail cell and a court room till he dies?
Theoretically forever, although they can't keep Chris in jail forever. He can't be held against his will for longer than the penalty of the crime he's accused of. In the current court he's in, this is limited to one year. If he is upgraded to circuit court and charged with the full felony version of the crime, they could keep him in jail for up to ten years of continuances, though that would be an unprecedented amount of time.
If the case is not resolved after a year for some reason, Chris will have the option of demanding his release (and the state will have the option of upgrading the charges to immediately rearrest him). Even if he's released though, that doesn't mean the charges are dropped, and the case can keep on going as long as it needs to, years if need be (and Chris can be thrown back in jail if he fails to meet his court dates).
The judge also will get annoyed if the case doesn't move along eventually, and it's ultimately the judge's decision to continue to grant continuances.
And again, a continuance doesn't mean nothing happened, it just means they aren't finished.
EDIT: Also when
@Peanut Head finds out when the next court date is, if it's soon (like within a week) that probably means we're almost done and they have a deal ready.
