Commissioners, manager avoid court order over COVID precautions

WADESBORO — The Anson County Board of Commissioners and the county manager avoided appearing in court after filing the proper documentation relating to the COVID-19 precautions in the courthouse to allow jury trials to resume.

Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Stephan Futrell issued an order to appear and show cause on each individual commissioner and Barron Monroe, the county manager, on Feb. 8. Futrell was not satisfied with the county’s efforts to improve sanitation measures.

A jury trial resumption plan was originally submitted in August to then-Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court Cheri Beasley. The plan was drafted, submitted, finalized and signed off on by Beasley, according to Anson’s Clerk of Superior Court Mark Hammonds.

But since then, the plan expired as the new Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court Paul Newby “allowed previous orders prohibiting jury trials to expire, so as to leave the decision to recommence jury trials in the aegis of the Senior Residence Superior Court Judge in Consultation with other stakeholders.”

Futrell wanted to see more evidence of what was going to be updated or improved in the Anson County Courthouse before moving forward with jury trials.

The order to appear document states that “various stakeholders are ready to resume the conduct of jury trials in the Anson County, but the conditions for having jury trials in the Anson County Courthouse have not been improved sufficiently for jury trials to resume.”

At the time, Futrell did not receive information to suggest a proper re-entry into the courtroom with technology in a specific time frame. Monroe emailed Clerk Hammonds in Nov. of 2020 saying “the type of technology and when it will be installed remains undetermined.” Monroe continued the email stating he will update Hammonds on any progress, according to the court order.

But by the time the court order was issued in Feb., there was no update, leading to the motion to show cause in front of Judge Futrell on Feb. 8.

A meeting took place the Thursday before the the order to appear date, which allowed Monroe to present an update of the new technologies that would be put in place to satisfy a safe re-entry plan to the courts.

“Judge Futrell asked specific questions and addressed what was in the motion to show cause,” Scott Forbes, county attorney, said. “Barron Monroe presented his information…it was established that Barron Monroe has been actively working on these things. It was also established that Barron Monroe has authority to enter into contracts on behalf of the county to facilitate with the engineers and electricians and other contractors to follow the mandates set forth by the judge.”

It was the county commissioners who budgeted money to help bring in the proper technologies into the courtroom. They also delegated Monroe with the task of overseeing the installation of sound and video.

The presentation showed sufficient evidence of work being done to the courtroom. Judge Futrell was satisfied with the progress and dismissed the order to appear in court.

On March 1, a company out of Fayetteville, Quality Sound & Video, began adding in the technologies to the courtroom. The company will be adding cameras, televisions and speakers to the courtroom. The company is scheduled to stay in Wadesboro until March 4 when all the technologies are put in place.

There is no timeline on when jury trials will resume in Anson County. Hammonds said the consensus, as it was from the beginning, is to maintain safety for everyone in the courtroom.