The presiding judge at County Criminal Court told defense counsel repeatedly that pretrial intervention paperwork and other mitigation materials must be submitted promptly because the next pretrial conference is set for Nov. 13. “You need to get it turned in pretty quickly because your pretrial conference is on November 13, and I want an answer by then,” the judge said during the docket.

The directive applied to multiple defendants during the status conference, which covered roughly two dozen matters. The judge emphasized that once a defendant is admitted into a PTI program, counsel should notify the court coordinator, Miss Toller, so the court can place the matter on a compliance docket.

Why it matters: Several defendants told the court they were awaiting PTI or TRAS (Third-Party Review/Acceptance System) determinations before resolving their cases. The court’s firm timeline aims to move those matters to either resolution or alternative scheduling at the Nov. 13 pretrial date.

Most important facts: Defense counsel for multiple defendants said they had received PTI offers or pending TRAS dates and were preparing to present executed PTI contracts and fees to the court coordinator. The judge directed counsel in several cases to “contact my coordinator, Miss Toller, and let her know once [the defendant is] accepted.”

Timing and process details provided in the hearing differed by speaker. One prosecutor said PTI/TRAS packages “should be able to submit to them next week,” and described typical processing as taking up to about a month in that office’s experience. An interpreter who also discussed TRAS timing said, “The TRAS, in my experience, usually takes a week for a decision after it comes back. Longest I’ve seen is about 3 weeks.” The court repeatedly cautioned that if PTI enrollment and contract execution are not completed in time, counsel should be prepared to pursue alternative resolutions at the Nov. 13 setting.

Actions and next steps: The court listed Nov. 13 as the general pretrial conference date for many matters and instructed counsel to submit PTI paperwork “within the next couple weeks” where applicable. Where PTI contracts had already been tendered, counsel said they would meet with clients to execute contracts, pay required fees, and notify Miss Toller so the case could be placed on a compliance docket.

Context and background: PTI and TRAS procedures are being used in multiple cases on the docket to allow defendants to participate in diversion or treatment programs in lieu of traditional prosecution outcomes. The court did not adopt new policy; it reiterated existing practice points for the current calendar.

What to watch: Several cases remain dependent on PTI/TRAS determinations. The Nov. 13 pretrial conference will be the next opportunity for the court to receive PTI confirmations or to set alternative trial or plea dates if mitigation paths are not completed.