WASHINGTON CO. GRAND JURIES RESUMING THIS WEEK
Court officials in Washington County are eager to return to a more routine work flow amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which fortunately for them is coming sooner rather than later.
On March 19th, the Texas Supreme Court (TSC) ruled that courts could not hold non-essential live hearings. The original order went through May 8th, but has since been extended until June 1st. However, according to Washington County District Attorney Julie Renken, there are exemptions in place for grand juries, which she said are starting back up this week.
Renken said there are measures being taken to protect those involved in the upcoming court settings.
Renken said June 1st is when courts can start holding dockets and contested hearings again.
According to Renken, following the first order from the TSC, her staff went through the list of inmates at the Washington County Jail, finding some that would likely be offered probation based on their offenses. Renken said she requested local judges offer Personal Recognizance bond for about ten people, knowing they would not be able to come to court for a long time, and not wanting them to sit in jail for that length of time. She noted that no cases were closed or dismissed.
Renken said she has “kept a close eye” on all new arrests, which she admitted have gone down quite a bit in an effort to keep the jail population down and prevent any possible spread of COVID-19. To date, according to Renken, there have been no cases of COVID-19 found at the jail. She said no violent or habitual offenders have been released as a result of the coronavirus; those remain in jail on the same bond as before the pandemic. She said she is working closely with the Brenham Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office on deciding who goes to jail, in order to keep both the inmates and the public safe.
Meanwhile, the office of Washington County Attorney Renee Mueller has continued to hear essential cases such as Child Protective Services dockets and juvenile detention hearings. Mueller said county court cases will start back up on June 1st, but noted it is not currently known what that start-up will look like.
For 335th Judicial District Court Judge Reva Towslee-Corbett, the task has been to come up with an operating plan for court business after June 1st. She said she is still in conversations with the county judges and county court-at-law judges in Bastrop, Burleson, Lee, and Washington Counties. She has received guidance from the Texas Office of Court Administration, but is still awaiting word from the TSC and the Court of Criminal Appeals on how to proceed.
Towslee-Corbett said there is no definite plan in place right now, as the situation from the top down is very fluid, but there will be a plan formulated before June 1st. She added there will probably be a different plan in place for each county in the district.
Renken said she there are concerns about holding jury trials due to the number of people involved with them. Even if it is deemed safe to hold a jury trial, she worries the public will be reluctant to participate in that kind of congregate setting.
Renken said her office is preparing for the return of a full court schedule so that it can be as productive as possible.