People v. Murray

Defendant was charged with obstructing a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor. 720 ILCS 5/31 — 1 (West 1996). The case was set for jury trial on August 28, 1997, one of 30 cases on the jury calendar that day. At the initial call of the cases, about 8:30 a.m., both the State and the defendant announced ready for trial. After the court had narrowed the cases down to two, the case was called again, at which time the State moved for a continuance, due to the absence of witnesses. The motion for continuance was denied, and the proceedings recessed in order to give the State the time to call in…