Trial Date Set For Edward McGinnis

Edward M. McGinnis, 49, of Fairbury, was arraigned in Jefferson County District Court on Thursday, September 10. Vicky Johnson was the presiding Judge.He is charged with possession of methamphetamine, a class 4 felony punishable by two years incarceration, nine to 12 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine. He is also charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, a class 2A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.McGinnis was arrested on Thursday, August 27, 2020, along with Cynthia Rice, 43, also of Fairbury, while the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the Nebraska State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies were conducting a search for another suspect, Ronald M. John Jr. of Fairbury. The Sheriff's Office reported that, during the search, Deputies were checking residences of known associates and in doing so developed probable cause to obtain a search warrant. According to the Sheriff's office, during the service of this search warrant a large quantity of illegal drugs and paraphernalia were located and seized.McGinnis pleaded Not Guilty to both charges in District Court on November 5, 2020.The defendant appeared with his attorney, Gregory Kratz, who requested that the case be set for a jury trial. Judge Johnson set the trial date for January 28 and 28, 2022.The deadline for a plea agreement is set for December 2. The judge advised the defendant that preparing for a trial takes a lot of work, including contacting witnesses, assigning jurors and preparing evidence. The judge asked that she be informed as soon as possible if if a plea deal is accepted. The judge said she would like to avoid all that preparation if the defendant will ultimately take a plea deal, “Frankly, due to COVID, we don't have any time to waste.”Jefferson County District Court currently has four trials scheduled for those days.The defendant is currently free on a $10,000 (10 percent) bond. McGinnis was previously scheduled to be arraigned in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 but failed to appear. He was free at that time on a $7,500 (10 percent) bond. A warrant was issued for his arrest and the bond was declared forfeit by the court. He was arrested on September 18, 2020, and a new bond was issued in the amount of $10,000

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