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Saturday, June 09, 2007
Ind. Courts - Steuben judges need more space
Kara Lopp of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports today:
Steuben County judges say they need either bigger courtrooms or a new courthouse.The judges will make their case for the construction projects before county commissioners and council during a joint meeting Tuesday. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. in the commissioners’ room of the Steuben Community Center, 317 S. Wayne St., in Angola. * * *
When the jury selection process brings at least 60 people, extra chairs have to be brought from other rooms in the courthouse and people are forced to wait in small rooms around the courthouse, Wheat said.
Though the county’s caseload hasn’t reached the point where a fourth court would need to be added, Wheat said officials would be naïve to assume it would never get to that point.
There is no room for a fourth court in the courthouse, he said.
“I will say that a time will come where we do and it’s just a question do we want to take the offensive … or do we just want to sit and wait until we’re overwhelmed and in panic mode?”
If county officials decide to plan for the building of a new judicial center in the future, Wheat would like to see the building in the same area as the current courthouse. It’s important courtrooms are close to the county’s jail and other highly used offices, he said.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 9, 2007 09:06 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts