How long can they hold my mom before they transfer her?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to that question. your mother is in a little bit of a dilemma. unlike your right to a speedy trial, an individual does not have a right to a speedy violation of probation hearing. so as long as she's had her first appearance it basically boils down to whenever is convenient for them to transfer her to the other county. An attorney might be able to help expedite the matter depending on whether your mother was under the supervision of the Department of Corrections or if she was on misdemeanor probation. sorry to be so vague, but this is one of those situations that would be very frustrating for a defendant and as a lawyer because there is really nothing in place to expedite the transfer. One thing is for certain the public defender will not do anything on the case until she is back in the original County because they will not be appointed to the case until that time. Accordingly, if you want anything done on the case, you will need to hire a private attorney.

They can hold her until the judge who issued the warrant for failure to appear can get around to seeing her, usually the next violation of probation docket for that judge. There will probably be no bond, and transporting her from one county to another can take time.