Wayne County courts begin reopening process

GREENVILLE — Civil and criminal dockets are being held in Wayne County this week as its courts began conducting more in-person proceedings.

The courts in the 42nd Judicial Circuit, which includes Wayne County, have “gone to phase one,” said Associate Circuit Judge Christina Kime.

The move to phase one came after an administrative order was signed by Presiding Circuit Judge Megan Seay last week.

Before issuing the order, Kime said, Seay had an “informal meeting” with the associate circuit judges in the five counties that make up the 42nd Judicial Circuit.

“We felt like we were ready to go to phase one,” Kime said. “If all goes well, we anticipate going to phase two in 14 days.”

Kime said Seay’s order “basically mirrors the (Missouri) Supreme Court” directives regarding courtroom access, occupancy and social distancing requirements.

“We are abiding by the 10 people in the courtroom (directive) and the social distancing,” Kime explained.

Hand sanitizer, she said, is being provided and masks are encouraged.

If anyone is ill or displaying symptoms of COVID-19, Kime said, they will not be allowed be in the courtroom.

Personnel in the circuit clerk’s office, Kime said, have marked off the benches “for social distancing so people can’t get too close.”

Courtroom access is limited to attorneys, parties, witnesses and victims, she said.

“(Tuesday) was the first day I had people here” for a probate hearing, said Kime.

One of the attorneys, she said, was appearing “by Scopia, but there was no sound,” so a cellphone had to be used, while the other attorney and the client were in the courtroom.

Kime said the order says the courts will “continue to use as much of the electronics as we can. I’m open to that for anybody who wants to try.”

The results, she said, are sometimes sporadic.

“Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t,” she said.

On Monday, Kime said, she did bond appearances for those in jail via Polycom, which is something she will continue to do for those who are incarcerated.

“Since I have different types of cases, I created a procedure on what cases we are taking up first and how we are going to handle them,” Kime said.

The parties, she said, check in on the first floor of the courthouse.

“When they come in, there are tables in the hallway,” Kime said. “There will be someone sitting there who will ask what they are there for and then direct them where they need to be.

“If it’s a court case, they’ll check them off the docket and then basically they’ll go back to their cars” to wait.

Wayne County, Kime said, is going “old school” using walkie talkies to tell “us who is there.

“They’ll send people up to the upstairs courtroom, and then as their cases are handled” and they leave the building, “they’ll tell us whose case is being handled next. We’re doing one trial (civil case) at a time.”

Kime held her first civil docket on Wednesday, followed by her criminal docket Thursday.

“Attorneys, we are asking them to marshal (all the parties) in their cases” to make sure they are “all there and ready to go,” Kime said.

Kime said her criminal docket is primarily misdemeanors.

“We may be able to have close to 10 people in” the courtroom, she said. “They’ll come in, and we’ll take them up one at a time.”

Most, she said, will be arraigned and applications for the public defenders services can be completed at that time as many defendants will not have representation.

“My criminal docket is 40 pages long” for Thursday, said Kime, who is unsure how long that will take given the restrictions, but “we might as well get started.”