The trial of a 39-year-old convicted felon accused of stalking a D.C. Superior Court magistrate judge has been delayed until Monday after the defendant spent the morning in the hospital with an undisclosed medical emergency. But presiding Superior Court Judge Russell Canan ordered that Taylar Nuevelle be stripped of her passport, deeming her a flight risk.
Nuevelle, accused of stalking Magistrate Judge Janet Albert—with whom she had a yearlong relationship—and breaking into her house, arrived at a 4 p.m. hearing today. Opening arguments were delayed pending a medical evaluation amid concerns that Nuevelle’s emergency was simply a ploy to delay the trial. Nuevelle failed to show up to what was supposed to be the start of the trial this morning because she had checked herself into Georgetown University Hospital’s emergency room. She was still wearing a hospital admission bracelet and a small white bandage on her hand when she came to court this afternoon.
Nuevelle is fit to stand trial starting tomorrow, according to a medical evaluation written by a hospital doctor. “The recommendation is that she should follow up with a physician in two to three days if symptoms persist or worsen,” Canan said. But a separate note was submitted on behalf of Nuevelle’s primary care physician, Robin Davis, who advised that tests may not uncover certain characteristics of the condition Nuevelle suffers and more tests should be administered. Canan ruled that the trial be stayed until Monday, Nov. 2, to ensure Nuevelle is healthy. A hearing will be held Friday to make sure Nuevelle will be ready. Davis could not be reached for comment.
In lieu of revelations about Nuevelle’s criminal history, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Brenowitz moved that Nuevelle be placed in high-intensity supervision with a curfew and GPS monitoring plus turn over her passport. In 1999 Nuevelle absconded to England for three years with her child in the midst of custody hearings with her ex husband. “If that’s in fact true, I am concerned about flight in this case,” Canan said. Canan ordered Nuevelle to turn in her passport by 9 a.m. tomorrow but denied the other supervisory measures.
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