Jury trials in Greene County suspended through January
President Judge Lou Dayich has suspended all jury trials through the end of January and announced other safety measures at the Greene County Courthouse to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Dayich signed an order this week that halts jury trials until Jan. 31, limits seating capacity in the courtrooms and holds preliminary hearings through video conferencing for suspects who are jailed.
The changes come a month after similar restrictions went into effect at the Washington County Courthouse, and several weeks after in-person visitation was halted at Greene County jail.
“I’m just trying to tighten it up since our circumstances are a little different,” Dayich said on Dec. 4. “We are trying to stay ahead of things. We’re trying to manage (this situation). We’re following the news and recognize there is a surge in the infection rate. Paying attention, you see schools and courthouses in neighboring counties are taking precautions.”
The order comes on the heels of Greene County posting a daily record of 44 new positive cases of the coronavirus on Dec. 4, according to the state Department of Health. The county has recorded 914 total cases since the pandemic began in March, more than half of which have occurred since Nov. 14.
The courthouse originally suspended jury trials in March at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but resumed trials in September and held three without any issues. But a trial in November was delayed when two jurors were forced to self-quarantine because of possible COVID-19 exposure and another had a disability unrelated to the coronavirus.
“It made us realize that in this environment that it made it difficult to manage the situation with these jury trials,” Dayich said.
In addition to the suspension of jury trials, Dayich’s order temporarily suspends Rule 600 that requires a defendant’s case to be adjudicated within a year – barring qualifying delays – of the initial criminal charges being filed.
The order also limits the number of non-court staff in Courtroom No. 1 to 40 people and 14 in the smaller Courtroom No. 2. Capacity for the auxiliary courtroom on the third floor will be at the discretion of the hearing officer, Dayich said.
“It’s a prudent step and there’s an expectation that we keep the courthouse open and these restrictions are, what we hope, will keep the courthouse functioning going forward,” Dayich said.
Hearings at the three district magistrate offices in the county will be staggered to give enough time for people to leave and enter without coming in contact, Dayich said, although most were already accommodating those spread out schedules.
Defendants who are being held at Greene County jail will appear for preliminary hearings through video conference to reduce the chance of exposure that could happen while being transported to legal proceedings.
This is the second time Dayich has taken action to limit the spread of the coronavirus through the legal system. The president judge issued an order Nov. 20 preventing people from being incarcerated through bench warrants because of unpaid fines or court costs through Feb. 1, although suspects facing warrants on criminal charges could still be arrested and booked into the county jail.