A judge has ruled that R. Kelly will stand trial on child pornography charges in May 2008.
Kelly was threatened with prison last week after failing to attend a court hearing five years after first being arrested.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan has now ruled that the trial will take place on May 9th, 2008, and Kelly has an earlier hearing in January as well.
R. Kelly avoided immediate arrest by showing up in court, but the R&B superstar is still in hot water with the judge presiding over his child pornography case.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan admonished the singer for missing a pretrial hearing earlier in the week and said he would decide whether to revoke Kelly's bail; he also said he could withdraw permission for Kelly to keep touring while awaiting trial.
"Mr. Kelly, I'm very disappointed," the judge said sternly as Kelly stood grim-faced just feet (meters) away. "These are extraordinary things and not to be taken for granted. ... I don't know what I'm going to do yet."
Kelly, who is in the middle of a 45-city tour, appeared in court in a blue-gray suit and in his trademark cornrows. He did not speak during the hearing, and he also declined to comment to reporters as he arrived and left.
The 40-year-old has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges for allegedly videotaping sex acts with a young teenage girl in or before 2000. The judge also said he intends to set a trial date Friday in the more than five-year-old case.
In moving to have bond revoked, Assistant State's Attorney Shauna Boliker cited the hearing Kelly missed.
Kelly's attorney, Ed Genson, responded only briefly on Thursday, saying his client had always appeared on time previously and had strictly adhered to other rules and restrictions set by the judge.
"He's not violated your honor's trust," Genson said.
As he awaits trial, Kelly — with Gaughan's approval — has continued working, embarking on multiple tours and releasing several million-selling albums.
"I need more input about what happens to you if I revoke your bail and stop you from concerts," said Gaughan, adding that he would hear arguments from both sides on Friday.
Earlier this week, Kelly canceled a scheduled Thursday night show in Minneapolis. He's next scheduled to perform Friday in Chicago, according to the singer's Web site.
Kelly missed the Wednesday hearing after his bus was stopped by police in Utah a day earlier. Police discovered the bus's log book didn't document enough rest time for the driver and ordered it to stop for eight hours, Genson explained Wednesday.
Kelly arrived for the Thursday morning hearing 15 minutes early, with only a few well-wishers waiting outside to see him.
At one point during the hearing, bailiffs detained a 49-year-old Chicago woman for taking four pictures of Kelly with a cell phone. Gaughan had issued a standing order for Kelly's trial banning cell phones from the courtroom.
The woman was charged with indirect contempt of court, her phone was confiscated and she was taken into custody, according to a statement Thursday evening from Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. Judge Paul Biebel later ordered her held until a Friday morning hearing.
Also at Thursday's hearing, prosecutors said during the trial they would not refer to vein patterns on the singer's hands as a way to identify Kelly in the video that is at the core of their case. Defense attorneys had argued that identification based on vein patterns wasn't reliable.
Kelly's attorneys have not even conceded he is on the videotape, saying his likeness may have been computer generated. They have also tried to raise doubts about the identity and age of the girl in the recording.
Source: BlackVoices.com
Kelly was threatened with prison last week after failing to attend a court hearing five years after first being arrested.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan has now ruled that the trial will take place on May 9th, 2008, and Kelly has an earlier hearing in January as well.
R. Kelly avoided immediate arrest by showing up in court, but the R&B superstar is still in hot water with the judge presiding over his child pornography case.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan admonished the singer for missing a pretrial hearing earlier in the week and said he would decide whether to revoke Kelly's bail; he also said he could withdraw permission for Kelly to keep touring while awaiting trial.
"Mr. Kelly, I'm very disappointed," the judge said sternly as Kelly stood grim-faced just feet (meters) away. "These are extraordinary things and not to be taken for granted. ... I don't know what I'm going to do yet."
Kelly, who is in the middle of a 45-city tour, appeared in court in a blue-gray suit and in his trademark cornrows. He did not speak during the hearing, and he also declined to comment to reporters as he arrived and left.
The 40-year-old has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges for allegedly videotaping sex acts with a young teenage girl in or before 2000. The judge also said he intends to set a trial date Friday in the more than five-year-old case.
In moving to have bond revoked, Assistant State's Attorney Shauna Boliker cited the hearing Kelly missed.
Kelly's attorney, Ed Genson, responded only briefly on Thursday, saying his client had always appeared on time previously and had strictly adhered to other rules and restrictions set by the judge.
"He's not violated your honor's trust," Genson said.
As he awaits trial, Kelly — with Gaughan's approval — has continued working, embarking on multiple tours and releasing several million-selling albums.
"I need more input about what happens to you if I revoke your bail and stop you from concerts," said Gaughan, adding that he would hear arguments from both sides on Friday.
Earlier this week, Kelly canceled a scheduled Thursday night show in Minneapolis. He's next scheduled to perform Friday in Chicago, according to the singer's Web site.
Kelly missed the Wednesday hearing after his bus was stopped by police in Utah a day earlier. Police discovered the bus's log book didn't document enough rest time for the driver and ordered it to stop for eight hours, Genson explained Wednesday.
Kelly arrived for the Thursday morning hearing 15 minutes early, with only a few well-wishers waiting outside to see him.
At one point during the hearing, bailiffs detained a 49-year-old Chicago woman for taking four pictures of Kelly with a cell phone. Gaughan had issued a standing order for Kelly's trial banning cell phones from the courtroom.
The woman was charged with indirect contempt of court, her phone was confiscated and she was taken into custody, according to a statement Thursday evening from Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. Judge Paul Biebel later ordered her held until a Friday morning hearing.
Also at Thursday's hearing, prosecutors said during the trial they would not refer to vein patterns on the singer's hands as a way to identify Kelly in the video that is at the core of their case. Defense attorneys had argued that identification based on vein patterns wasn't reliable.
Kelly's attorneys have not even conceded he is on the videotape, saying his likeness may have been computer generated. They have also tried to raise doubts about the identity and age of the girl in the recording.
Source: BlackVoices.com
