Prosecutor gives reasons for continuances
Staff writer
In 2025, Marion County had more than 100 continuances for traffic violations.
County attorney Michelle Brown said a large percentage of these cases were for driver’s who had no licenses, no liability insurance, or cracked windshields.
Most people ticketed for speeding do not go to court, she said.
Cases involving people driving with suspended licenses happens a lot in Marion County, she said, but they often need to be continued to get things like driving records in order and for the driver to be able to reach a person with the Department of Revenue, which oversees licenses.
“It’s not easy,” she said, adding that this usually took several months. “I want to give people as much time to get their licenses in order.”
Some have never had a license, and about 90% of them want one. It takes time to make an appointment and take a test.
When a person fails to pay a fine for a traffic violation like speeding, the court looks at what the issue is.
After four to six months with no resolution in traffic violations, the court decides something needs to be done, she said.
Criminal and juvenile cases are continued for two main reasons.
More serious cases take more than a year with experts being hired and hearings being conducted before trial.
When Brown became county attorney, she inherited two cases that were 18 months old, and both defendants were still in jail.
“In Marion, we have one courtroom, and five judges that come to Marion,” she said.
She pointed to an upcoming trial of former Marion police chief Gideon Cody, which was supposed to take a week this month before being postponed.
Attorneys and the court expected the courtroom to be used for that trial for a week, so nothing else could be scheduled.
When a trial was postponed, there was not enough time to put cases on the calendar, so the courtroom sat vacant, she said.
“We couldn’t get anything for that week because we were not going to have a courtroom,” she said. “It’s one case at a time in one courtroom.”
A third reason is there are no defense attorneys in Marion. Most of those handling court cases are outside the county.
“Because we have so few attorneys, we have to account for their calendars,” she said.
Defense attorneys often tell the court they have a hearing or trial on a certain date, so cases in Marion are pushed back.
The right to a speedy trial ial always was waived by the defense attorneys, Brown said, adding that they say they are unavailable.
“It’s never on the state,” she said.