GREENSBURG, Pa. — It’s been five months since Westmoreland County had a jury trial, but from now on, that’ll be the only time an inmate leaves the jail -- if court officials can help it.
President Judge Rita Hathaway came down with a court order Friday, saying all court appearances will be done by video, unless an inmate is on trial.
Have questions about the spread of the coronavirus? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak. CLICK HERE for more.
“We instituted a new policy that after they’re here seven days were testing them because our quarantine unit is getting filled up with commitments,” Westmoreland County Prison Warden John Walton said.
The new procedures come after Judge Scott Mears and his staff were exposed last week when a Fayette County inmate had a hearing. The inmate didn’t know he was positive for COVID-19 until later that day.
Mears and his staff all tested negative. In the meantime, the warden told Channel 11 that the only three cases he’s had have come from outside the walls of the prison.
“Any inmate that comes through our door is met by our medical staff, we’re asking questions, doing temperature checks, then they immediately get placed into quarantine,” Walton said.
This all comes right on the heels of an outbreak at the Fayette County Jail and courthouse last week.
The surge in cases shut the courthouse down there for a month.
Court officials said they’re doing everything to keep both inmates and the public safe as jury trials resume this week.
Hathaway said these same rules apply to hearings at the magisterial level and that these procedures will be in place indefinitely.
This browser does not support the video element.