Kelly appears in court after missing date

CHICAGO , Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Singer R. Kelly was reportedly 20 minutes early for a Chicago court date Thursday morning -- a day after missing a scheduled appearance.

Kelly was charged with 14 counts of child pornography after he allegedly filmed himself in 2002 having sex with a girl believed to have been 13 or 14 years old at the time.

The recording artist is awaiting trial on the charges and must seek permission for trips outside the state of Illinois.

Kelly's lawyer, Ed Genson, said the performer missed Wednesday's court date after he was "detained because of some snow" while returning from a performance in Sacramento, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Kelly's tour bus was then stopped by Utah police who insisted the driver take a mandatory eight-hour rest stop before going any further, the recording artist said in a statement.

The hearing was rescheduled for Thursday and the judge presiding over the case warned Kelly that if he didn't appear in court then, a warrant would be issued for his arrest.

Dressed in a suit, the singer showed up for the rescheduled session 20 minutes early,

TMZ.com reported.

The judge continued the hearing until Friday, meaning Kelly would be in court in the morning and headline a show at Chicago's United Center in the evening, the report said.