USA v. Thomas

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
AT KNOXVILLE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 	)
)
Plaintiff, 	)
v. 	) 	No. 3:25-CR-128-TAV-JEM
)
TIMOTHY DORIAN THOMAS, 	)
)
Defendant. 	)
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
All pretrial motions in this case have been referred to the undersigned pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§ 636(b) for disposition or recommendation as appropriate. This case is before the Court on
Defendant Timothy Dorian Thomas’s Motion to Continue Trial and All Related Deadlines
[Doc. 14], which he filed on December 23, 2025.
Defendant Thomas asks the Court to continue the trial date and all related deadlines
associated with this matter [Id. at 1]. In support of his motion, Defendant asserts his counsel and
the Government have been in good contact, with productive negotiations [Id. ¶¶ 1–2]. Defendant
states that if a plea agreement is reached, it will allow the Government to avoid preparing for trial,
thereby allowing it and the Court to allocate resources efficiently [Id. ¶ 2]. Defendant also states a
continuance will serve the ends of justice [Id. ¶ 3]. Defendant’s motion reflects that counsel for
the Government does not oppose the requested continuance [Id. ¶ 4]. Counsel for Defendant
confirmed via email correspondence with Chambers that Defendant understands his right to a
speedy trial and that the time between the filing of the motion and the new trial date will be
excluded from his speedy trial calculation.
Based upon the information in Defendant’s motion and because the Government does not
oppose the continuance, the Court finds the ends of justice served by granting a continuance
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outweigh the interests of Defendant and the public in a speedy trial. See 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(A).
In making this determination, the Court has considered the factors set forth in 18 U.S.C.
§ 3161(h)(7)(B). Specifically, the Court concludes that failing to grant a continuance would both
result in a miscarriage of justice and deny counsel for Defendant the reasonable time necessary for
effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due diligence. See id. § 3161(h)(7)(B)(i)–
(iv). Specifically, defense counsel needs time to conclude plea negotiations and, if negotiations are
not fruitful, to prepare the case for trial. The Court finds that this cannot occur before the
January 13, 2026 trial date.
The Court therefore GRANTS Defendant Timothy Dorian Thomas’s Motion to Continue
Trial and All Related Deadlines [Doc. 14]. The trial date is reset to April 14, 2026. A new,
comprehensive trial schedule is included below. Because the Court has found that the ends of
justice served by granting a continuance outweigh the interests of Defendant and the public in a
speedy trial, all of the time between the filing of the motion on December 23, 2025, and the new
trial date is fully excludable time under the Speedy Trial Act. See 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(1)(D),
(h)(7)(A)–(B).
Accordingly, it is ORDERED as follows:
(1) 	Defendant Timothy Dorian Thomas’s Motion to Continue Trial and
All Related Deadlines [Doc. 14] is GRANTED;
(2) 	the 	trial 	date 	is 	reset 	to 	commence 	on 	April 	14, 	2026,
at 9:00 a.m., before the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States
District Judge;
(3) 	all time between the filing of the motion on December 23, 2025,
and the new trial date of April 14, 2026, is fully excludable time
under the Speedy Trial Act for the reasons set forth herein;
(4) 	the deadline for filing a plea agreement in the record and providing
reciprocal discovery is March 16, 2026;
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(5) 	the deadline for filing motions in limine is March 30, 2026, and
responses to motions in limine are due on or before April 7, 2026;
(6) 	the parties are to appear before the undersigned for a final pretrial
conference on March 31, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.; and
(7) 	requests for special jury instructions with appropriate citations to
authority pursuant to Local Rule 7.4 shall be filed on or before
April 3, 2026.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
ENTER:
________ ____________________
Jill E. McCook
United States Magistrate Judge
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