Common Pleas Court gearing up to restart jury trials in August

ELYRIA — Jury trials are expected to be back in session for criminal felonies and civil cases in Lorain County Common Pleas Court the first week of August, though they will look a little different from in the past. Jurors will be called back to Lorain County Common Pleas Court in Elyria starting the week of Aug. 3, Court Administrator Sherry Clouser said Tuesday, with added precautions against infection by COVID-19 in each courtroom of the Justice Center. She and her staff have been working for months with all those with a stake in the justice system to ensure that jurors and participants remain safe and healthy when they come back to participate in their civic duty. Clouser said she and Deputy Court Administrator Deborah Tansey have been planning since March the best way to reopen the courts, all while working behind the scenes to ensure the justice system continues to operate. "Our No. 1 priority is safety and still being able to administer justice," Clouser said. Technology to keep hearings going came first, followed by safety equipment. Court staff then went troubleshooting to fill in the safety gaps where they existed, Clouser said. The Ohio Supreme Court came through with funding to local courts to help set up smart TVs and purchase software licenses for platforms like Zoom. To keep jurors, attorneys, defendants, victims and their family members, the media and court staff separate at a safe distance, the court has used state grants to upgrade technology and purchase plastic shielding and personal protective equipment. Jurors will be given PPE including masks, face shields, gloves and hand sanitizer and have their temperatures taken with contactless thermometers before they enter a courtroom. Plastic shields made by Plex in Berea are on wheels to adjust for jurors or to be cleaned or moved to other courtrooms. A majority of the protective equipment installed was manufactured in Ohio, Tansey said. Seating has been reorganized to allow for social distancing, and overflow seating and remote viewing locations arranged to cut down on crowded galleries. Courtroom floors and public benches have been marked with blue tape at 6-foot intervals to maintain social distancing. Clouser and Tansey said Judge Christopher Rothgery's courtroom, where the murder trial of Jocquez Ross is scheduled to resume Aug. 6, was the first equipped under the new mandates. A group made up of court officials, representatives from the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office and the local defense bar, county Facilities Manager Karen Davis and sheriff's deputies all chipped in ideas and recommendations for keeping all those involved in trial work safe when court resumes. "Our job is just to make their jobs easier," Clouser said. As an example: Defense attorneys requested transparent face shields for witnesses so defendants and jurors could still see their faces while they testify, Clouser said. Lorain County Health Commissioner David Covell also was consulted on the additions and gave court officials his approval on the steps they took, Clouser said. Jurors who have medical issues that might make them more susceptible to infection or concerns about their ability to serve are welcome to mention that on their jury questionnaire, to court staff or the judge overseeing their case, Clouser and Tansey said. "We always try to work with everyone" who might have concerns, Tansey said. Jurors also will be given bottled water and box lunches during their service in court. Cleaners will sanitize the witness stand between witnesses and other surfaces in the courtrooms during breaks. Other barriers are being manufactured that can be clipped onto the lecterns used by attorneys as they argue their cases before the court, Clouser said. The physical barrier additions are all either mobile or can be easily removed without damaging the courtrooms when COVID-19 precautions are lifted. Some were built out of wood and plastic sheeting by county maintenance workers to cut down on costs, and all Common Pleas courtrooms have had them installed. Court officials also are attending web seminars put on by state and national associations for training and to learn best practices. Lorain County Common Pleas Court has applied for additional money from Ohio Criminal Justice Services in Columbus to help defray the cost of the upgrades. "We're hoping this is a temporary solution to a temporary problem," Tansey said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him at @daveobrienCT on Twitter.