A judge approved a change of venue Thursday, gave attorneys three weeks to agree on a location, and made clear he's not waiting around.

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Nick Houck walked into Nelson Circuit Court Thursday morning right behind Sherry Ballard. He sat on the opposite side of the courtroom.

That image- the mother of the woman his brother was convicted of murdering, and the man now charged with lying about it for a decade, separated by a few rows of wooden benches- is a good summary of where this case stands. Close. Unresolved. Moving forward whether anyone is ready or not.

Judge Charles Simms approved a change of venue motion, meaning the trial will not be held in Nelson County.

Both sides agreed a venue change was necessary. They did not agree on where. Judge Simms gave attorneys until August 20th to reach an agreement- later extended to August 28th after a scheduling conflict for the prosecution. If they cannot agree, each side must submit a list of ten counties they believe can provide a fair trial. The judge said he hopes there will be an overlapping county on both lists. If there isn't, he will choose.

The next court date is August 28th at 9:00 a.m. in Nelson Circuit Court.

The current trial date of November 9th remains on the calendar. Prosecutor Kyle Williamson acknowledged it may be difficult to hit given everything that still needs to be worked out. Judge Simms did not move it.

The hearing lasted approximately five minutes. The hearing itself was brief. But what came out of it matters.

Finding a courtroom is harder than it sounds

After the hearing, I caught up with Nelson County Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa- who was in the courtroom Thursday- and asked him to put this in context.

He didn't mince words: for a Class D perjury case, this is extraordinarily unusual.