Why is there a Grand Jury hearing scheduled after a plea was signed at preliminary?

What might have been signed was the waiver of a Preliminary Hearing. In order for the Circuit Court to gain jurisdiction the charge will have to be bright before a Grand Jury and the Grand Jury will indict the defendant. Then the plea can be entered in the Circui Court.

It sounds to me like a deal was agreed upon in juvenile and domestic relations court that the defendant would waive preliminary hearing and plead guilty to the felony of aggravated sexual battery. A JDR court does not have authority to enter a guilty plea. It just determines whether there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crime and then certifies the case to the grand jury so a selection of citizens from the public can also agree to allow the case to move forward. What the defendant would have signed is a waiver of preliminary hearing. It is signed by the defendant and the defense attorney, but not the prosecutor. When the case gets into circuit court there will be a separate hearing for pleading guilty, which will have a different form for the defendant, defense attorney, and prosecutor to sign. Then the judge will ask the defendant lots of questions before accepting the guilty plea.

Because that is the process. Felony trials and guilty pleas are handled in Circuit Court so the case has to be moves to that court. In order for that to happen there has to be a document alleging the offense occurred. That document comes from the grand jury.