Riechmann Indoor Pavilion to be used as site for jury trial and selection
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
COVID-19 has brought on many changes for the Boone County Court House. Today it was decided that the Reichmann Pavilion at Stephen Lake Park in Columbia, will be used as an additional site for Boone County Court's jury trials and selection. Division III Circuit Judge, Judge Kevin Crane, will be overseeing the transition with Boone County Courthouse Court Administrator, Mary Epping.
Epping reported in a statement, "We would use the Reichmann Pavilion in the event we had two jury trials going at the same time. It almost happened a short while back, so we have been on the hunt for a second venue that would allow for jury selection and trial, with proper social distancing. We are grateful to the city that Reichmann Pavilion is an option. We would only use it when necessary. We would likely hold the entire jury trial at the pavilion as our courtrooms, other than Ceremonial, are not large enough to keep the jurors in the same or similar area while allowing for social distancing, and also have room for the public."
Epping says the courthouse has been looking for a venue to hold additional jury trials for months.
Many court cases statewide and nationally have been backlogged due to the coronavirus.
Former Cole County Prosecuting Attorney, Bill Tackett, was on the conference call for the decision of choosing the pavilion as the new venue. He said, "You have people that practically don’t want to come in because of COVID as it is".
The difficulty to get jurors in courtrooms because of the fear of contracting the virus has been difficult on the courts as well.
Epping said they're still working out the specific details on the process and how exactly the pavilion will be used.
Epping explained, "We still have to work out what case types makes sense to have out there and exactly how it would work, but essentially the reason it’s a good location is because of the size and ability to social distance jurors during jury selection.”
Epping says the pavilion would only be used when they are two trials going on at the same time and an alternative location is needed.
"Primarily we would continue to use the courthouse, we would only use this alternative location, in the event that we had two trials that both had to go during the same week," Epping says. "So just when that event occurs that’s when we would start using the other building.”
The Riechmann Indoor Pavilion would be available to use for the courthouse Monday through Thursday, and the court must inform organizers a week or two in advance.
The Boone County Courthouse is limited to only bringing in 40 jurors at a time for jury trials and selection. The pavilion is a location that is large enough to safely social distance jurors and that is not believed to influence a jurors decision.
Former Cole County prosecutor, Bill Tackett, explained the court had a hard time finding a location because of certain limitations. There was a concern that certain venues could influence a juror's decision.
Tackett said, "The fairgrounds became difficult because of some dealings with the city and it seems like everywhere the courts turned there’s been some problems. They were going to use a church over in Fulton and the defense said no we don’t want to have bibles and crosses around to potentially influence jurors. You’re constantly looking for what would unduly influence a juror, and that is a large part of where you are. If you’re in a courtroom it’s fair and square, that’s where we do trials. When you move them outside the courtroom into a different venue, it changes everything, in terms of demeanor and their thought process, but it’s necessary you have to do it. I mean there’s no way around it.”
Boone County Court officials are still working out the details of how and when this venue will be used for future trials.
