The Judge Was Wrong - No Trial for Chip Dillard This Year

In August of this year, the combined trial of Edward Ray (Chip) Dillard and Timothy Wylie Staggs was postponed until December 10th. At that time, Judge Mark Craig set the new date and stated the trial would definitely begin before the end of 2018. Craig seems to have erred in his calculations.

On November 30th, Dillard was transferred back to the Lauderdale County Detention Center, presumably for the start of the trial. Staggs was already in residence. Now Dillard has been transferred out of the LCDC.

According to court records, the new trial date is February 11th, with a motion hearing scheduled January 22nd. In May, it will be three years since Dillard and Staggs were arrested on human trafficking charges.

Will we finally have a trial in February? That's anyone's guess at this point. By that time, Chip Dillard will have been incarcerated 33 months. He no longer has a license to practice law in Alabama. We have no firm idea how many, if any, states would allow Dillard to take the bar exam should he be found not guilty of the charges against him. His future isn't that bright, so why not have the trial and get it over with?