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Mar. 21—The Daviess County Commonwealth’s Legal professional’s administrative center is operating thru a backlog of circumstances that have been behind schedule via the COVID-19 pandemic and will probably be accomplishing a number of main trials within the coming months.
Commonwealth’s Legal professional Bruce Kuegel stated his administrative center has 3 homicide trials at the docket between now and June. A number of different murder circumstances are being ready for trial. That is on most sensible of alternative prison circumstances, reminiscent of drug ownership, drug trafficking and thefts, the administrative center handles.
“That is the backlog from the COVID pandemic and the courts being close down,” Kuegel stated.
Courts have been closed to all however emergency hearings for a time because of the pandemic, and trials have been rescheduled as a result of courthouses have been closed. Trials resumed in Daviess County ultimate fall after probably the most restrictions on courtrooms have been lifted.
One of the crucial homicide circumstances has a person doubtlessly going through the dying penalty in a January 2019 triple murder on Audubon Road.
Kuegel stated all the prosecutors in his administrative center are the lead lawyer on a minimum of one murder. Plea provides are made when suitable on circumstances, he stated, however some circumstances have to visit trial.
The administrative center does use mediation for some circumstances. Kuegel stated a case used to be mediated and ended with an agreed plea on Thursday.
“The mediation procedure has led to some circumstances being resolved,” he stated, “however there are a complete lot extra that have not been.”
Sufferers and households have transform annoyed with the prolong in court docket motion brought about via the pandemic, Kuegel stated.
“We strive to verify we stay the sufferers knowledgeable of the standing in their circumstances,” he stated. “Sadly, we’ve got such a lot of circumstances at this time,” together with circumstances with more than one sufferers.
Whilst the administrative center works to care for the backlog, new felony circumstances stay being added to the docket.
The grand jury, Kuegel stated, problems 70 to 100 new indictments each and every month.
“The whole lot else that has been occurring in Daviess County — the medication, the thefts” has persisted, Kuegel stated. “It is not like we will have a murder and the whole lot stops.
“We’re going to be backlogged for some time. We will make efforts to get issues resolved.”
James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
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