At a status docket hearing, the judge heard several updates in which prosecutors said they were unable to reach complaining witnesses, a problem that prosecutors said has delayed plea offers, discovery steps and case resolution.

The issue arose in multiple matters, including cases for Jesse Fernandez III and Tabert J. Taylor, where prosecutors said phone numbers listed on offense reports did not work and certified letters were sent without response. "The number that that was on the offense report did not work," a prosecutor told the court, and later said a certified final-contact letter was mailed.

The delays have practical effects on case progression. In the Fernandez matter, the court set a trial date of Feb. 3 with a pretrial on Jan. 29 and one status hearing on Dec. 11 after the prosecutor said an offer could not yet be relayed until the victim could be contacted. In the Taylor matter, the prosecutor told the court that a certified letter of final notice had been sent and that, absent a response, the office would have to "trudge along in a different matter." The judge noted the Taylor matter was roughly 10 months old.

Defense counsel and prosecutors repeatedly flagged outreach efforts and next steps during the status docket. One defense attorney said the case was "about 12 months and 10 days roughly," prompting the court to ask prosecutors to double their efforts to obtain current contact information.

These problems are procedural rather than dispositive: the court continued cases, reiterated upcoming hearing dates, and asked prosecutors to document attempts to reach witnesses. The prosecutor on one file said they would relay offers once contact was made. For at least one case the prosecutor said they had added a new contact letter sent by certified mail that day.

The court also advised counsel and staff to file required language forms and to prepare for trial scheduling once victims can be contacted. No final plea agreements or trial outcomes were announced during the docket on these items.

The transcript shows multiple references to certified letters, unsuccessful phone contacts and deferred offers; the precise number of affected cases beyond those discussed in open status updates was not specified.