Coronavirus affects traffic, probation cases; even weddings at Sedgwick County court
Sedgwick County courts are putting traffic cases on hold and suspending in-person reporting for people on probation — and also laying the groundwork for a possible complete shutdown of the courthouse if necessary — in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus COVID-19, officials said Monday.
Chief Court Administrator Ellen House said the steps taken so far include:
▪ Proceedings on dispositions and summons in traffic court are being suspended until April 6 at the earliest and could go longer on an order of the court. Persons with pending traffic matters will have 30 days to appear once traffic court resumes normal operations.
▪ The morning and afternoon traffic walk-in dockets are also being suspended until at least April 6.
▪ Persons who are now required to report in person to probation officers or for interviews with court service officers are ordered to not come to the courthouse, but to report by telephone.
Other proceedings that are usually done by mass walk-in dockets, including civil actions on Wednesdays and protection from abuse or stalking orders, will continue, but “we’ll be spreading those out and sending them up to different courtrooms,” House said.
On Monday morning, the courts called 85 citizens to gather at the jury room for potential jury duty. Going forward, those call-ups will be limited to less than 50, to comply with a county order limiting public gatherings that was issued at noon Monday by Sedgwick County Health Officer Garold Minns.
District attorney Marc Bennett said his office is working with the courts and the Sheriff’s Office to try to reduce population in the jail and free up space in case any inmates have the coronavirus and have to be treated and quarantined.
So far, there have been no confirmed coronavirus cases at the jail.
But Bennett said his office is reviewing cases to identify low-level offenders who could be released without endangering the public.
Given the national emergency, “If there are guys who are in there on a 30-day stretch, is maybe 20 enough?” he said.
In addition, Bennett said his office is looking at cases where bail could be reduced to a more affordable level for some inmates being held while awaiting trial.
And they’re also considering trying to expedite hearings for probation violators who are likely to be released when their case comes before a judge, a process that now can take 10 days or more, he said.
He emphasized, however, that confinement will continue as usual for persons convicted of or facing trial for violent and dangerous crimes. “This is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” he said.
On Monday, the state House of Representatives passed an emergency bill to give Chief Justice Marla Luckert authority to waive most court deadlines that are set by state statute.
Those could include civil-court timelines for filing and handling cases and criminal case deadlines in place to assure that defendants get a speedy trial as the Constitution requires.
“We just don’t know where we’re heading in the next couple days and weeks, so we wanted to give her (Luckert) the ability to day by day manage the court system,” said Rep. Fred Patton, R-Topeka and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who introduced the legislation.
Patton said he met with the chief justice and prosecutors across the state to craft legislation that would let court users, staff and judicial officers be safe, while keeping the right to a speedy trial intact.
“We don’t want people to lose their access to justice, nor do we want people who have committed serious crimes to be walking free,” Patton said.
The bill only allows Luckert to extend or suspend any deadlines or time limits during a state of emergency. Gov. Laura Kelly issued an emergency declaration on March 12, which legislators extended until Jan. 25, 2021.
“Hopefully the courts don’t need to shut down for a day or for a week, but if they do, there are thousands of Kansans whose rights will be affected in court if we don’t take this action,” said Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, in support of the amendment.
Changes at the courts could even affect weddings.
Senior Judge James Fleetwod, the former chief judge in Sedgwick County, conducted a ceremony Monday marrying Vanessa and Aaron Beal.
Vanessa Beal, nee Lawrence, said the couple planned on a courthouse wedding all along. The ceremony was attended by about 25 people.
“She was lucky,” Fleetwood said, adding that any weddings in the near future will likely be kept to a minimum number of people.
Contributing: Nicole Asbury of The Kansas City Star
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 5:32 PM.
