CLARK COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) -- In a few weeks, the Clark County Government Building will hold its first jury trial since March, but the proceedings will look very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The courtrooms now include Plexiglas partitions and new seating arrangements to make social distancing possible.
As the courts continue their phased reopening, Judge Vicki Carmichael said they want to put potential jurors at ease.
"We've heard those concerns in the community," said Carmichael, who presides over Clark Circuit Courts. "Many of us have talked to friends and relatives who have said, 'What are you doing about jury duty? Will people really show up?'"
A video, narrated by Carmichael, informs individuals of the COVID-19 precautions to expect when they're summoned for jury duty, including jurors who will be a part of Leevi Emery's upcoming murder trial.
"It will require the seating of 12 regular jurors and three alternates," Carmichael said. "We will need 15 folks and are planning to call in about 200."
Questioning potential jurors will not be done in the courtroom. Instead, they'll be directed to Greater Clark County Schools' facility on Utica-Sellersburg Road, Carmichael said.
At the facility, jurors will go through security and a temperature check. Everyone is required to wear a mask.
"If you are selected for a trial, then you'll be asked to come to the courthouse the next business day," Carmichael said.
The entire courtroom will be transformed into the jury box. Family and friends will watch proceedings via closed circuit TV.
"We're trying to make it as safe as possible, putting in as many precautions as we can," Carmichael said. "This first trial will be an example of can we get it done."
Many of the court's proceedings have been held virtually after it reopened June 1.
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