Seatac or Bust

A little more than two weeks ago I had a court hearing in Boise Idaho. The only purpose of the hearing was to appoint counsel for the upcoming appelate court-ordered competency hearing. The lawyer that appeared at the hearing two weeks ago to be appointed told the judge that he had a scheduling conflict with the proposed date of the new competency hearing, which was scheduled for early November. So, he asked that it be pushed back to December.

The judge said he wanted no more delays (though he'd already pushed the hearing back several months for the prosecutor without even consulting the defense). Apparently a few more weeks was too much to ask. So he continued the appointment hearing for two weeks, to be reconvined then to give the public defenders a chance to find a different lawyer.

Monday (three days ago) was the continuation hearing. I was flown by private jet from Terre Haute to Boise on both occasions. For the first hearing, that lasted 15 minutes and accomplished nothing, I was gone from my cell in Terre Haute for just over 30 hours. They flew me to Boise the day before, then flew me right back to Terre Haute after the 9:30 am hearing. For the second hearing I was flown to Boise on Friday, spent the weekend in Ada County Jail, then, by complete surprize, flown to Seattle via twin engine Beachcraft and taken to the Seatac Federal Detention Center (FDC) where I now sit.

It seems I have been ordered to remain here until the competency hearing, which the judge finally pushed back to January 8th, 2013, before appointing the same lawyer that appeared at that first hearing. So, now I'm stuck here in Seatac in the SHU (Special Housing Unit, a.k.a. 'The Hole") for the next seven months, presumably so I can be more readily flown back and forth for pointless hearings like these last two (an hour and a half by Beachcraft instead of three hours by lear-jet).

I don't mind. It gives me time to catch up on some reading, and work on the Fifthnail.