United States v. Norman Harold Haiges, III

Norman Harold Haiges, III claims that the Government’s failure to bring him to trial within seventy days of the date of his indictment violated the Speedy Trial Act (the “Act”), 18 U.S.C. §§ 3161-3174 . The district court denied Haiges’s pretrial motion to dismiss the indictment, concluding that the Government had complied with the time limitations imposed by the Act. We affirm.

Haiges was arrested on November 6, 1981, shortly after a robbery of the Valley National Bank in Scottsdale, Arizona. He made an initial appearance before a magistrate on the day of his arrest, and was held to answer to a charge of bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113 (a). Haiges was indicted on that charge on November 10, and at his arraignment, on November 18, pleaded not guilty. At that time, his trial was set for January 19, 1982. On January 14, the clerk filed a minute order vacating that trial date and resetting Haiges’s trial for January 20.

On January 20, Haiges appeared for trial and moved for dismissal of the indictment. He argued that under the Act the Government was required to bring him to trial seventy days after the filing of his indictment, on January 19. The court denied the…