A judge in Nassau County has dismissed on speedy trial grounds a misdemeanor case that “basically fell into a black hole” and lingered for 26 years—apparently to the surprise of the defendant.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Angelo Delligatti (See Profile) said in a decision that defendant Bruce Biondi, who was allegedly arrested in 1988 for second-degree criminal contempt, apparently learned of the pending matter more than two decades later when a customs official told him he had “some type of criminal history.”