>>JENNIFER WAUGH: BEGINNING MONDAY THE PROCESS OF RESTARTING JURY TRIALS WILL
BEGIN AT THE DUVAL COUNTY
COURTHOUSE, HUNDREDS OF SUMMONS
HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE PUBLIC
ASKING RECIPIENTS TO REPORT FOR
JURY DUTY NEXT WEEK. LAST WEEK
A GRAND JURY WAS SELECTED IF
YOU REMEMBER DISTRICT FOR CHIEF
JUDGE MARK BEHIND IS JOINING US
VIA ZOOM THIS MORNING, GOOD
MORNING JUDGE THANKS FOR
JOINING US AGAIN.
>> GOOD MORNING JENNIFER.
THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN HOW JURORS WILL BE
SELECTED TO NEXT WEEK’S END.
SHE CAN’T YOU KNOW HAVE 300
PEOPLE WAITING IN ONE ROOM
DURING A PANDEMIC.
>> WELL JENNIFER WE KIND OF
CHANGED THE WAY WE BRING JURORS
IN IN THE IF YOU IF YOU
RECEIVED A SUMMONS YOU CAME
DOWN IN IT,
A LARGE GROUP TYPICALLY MAYBE 3
OR 400 PEOPLE AT
ONE TIME OF COURSE UNDER THE
NEW RESTRICTIONS IN IN THESE
THESE CURRENT DAYS, WE JUST
CAN’T DO THAT’S WHAT WE DECIDED
TO DO IS WE’RE GOING TO ISSUE
SMALLER GROUPS OF SUMMONSES
WE’RE GOING TO BRING PEOPLE IN
SAYING MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY. TRY TO GET WE’LL
FOLLOW GROUPS TO WORK WITH
FOR SPECIFIC TRIALS AND WE HOPE
THAT THAT’S GOING TO WORK WHICH
WAS WHY IT’S IMPORTANT THAT
PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED
TO AN END AND RESPOND TO THE
SUMMONS AND SHOW UP AND IF THEY
CAN’T MAKE SURE THAT THEY
NOTIFY THE CLERK
OF COURTS.
>> IN THE MEANTIME, HOW WILL
THE DECISION JUDGE THEN
BE MADE ABOUT WHICH CRIMINAL
TRIALS WILL BE HELD FIRST
REMINDING OUR VIEWERS OF COURSE
THAT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 6
MONTHS AND YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO
HOLD ONE.
>> WE’VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH
ALL OF THE PARTNERS IN THIS
SITE IS WITH THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE WITH THE CITY WITH THE
PEOPLE IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE TO
TRY
TO FIND THE APPROPRIATE SETTING
IN THE APPROPRIATE TRIAL SIT
THAT NEED TO
BE TRIED. THAT’S A LITTLE BIT
OF A MORE COMPLICATED PROCESS
YOU’VE GOT
TO FIND FIRST TO TRIAL THIS
RELATIVELY SIMPLE THAT CAN BE
TRIED WITHIN A LIMITED PERIOD
OF TIME WHERE WE’RE LOOKING AT
TRIALS WORD FOR THIS MAY BE IN
CUSTODY OR OUT OF CUSTODY THAT
IS AT THE JAIL OR OR ARE OUT ON
BOND OR RELEASED. AND TRIALS
THAT A LIMITED NUMBER
OF WITNESSES SO WE’RE NOT
BRINGING A GREAT NUMBER OF
WITNESSES THAT HAVING TO
DISINFECT PPE AND THOSE TYPE OF
THINGS SO THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN
ONGOING WITH MEMBERS OF
THE THE STATE ATTORNEY’S
OFFICE, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER’S
OFFICE THE PRIVATE PARK
IN MEETING WITH THE JUDGES.
SO THAT’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING
NOW IS TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE
CORRECT CASES.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO FOR JURORS
WHO ARE NERVOUS ABOUT COVID-19
WHAT SAFETY PROCEDURES ARE IN
PLACE.
>> WHILE THEY’RE IN
THE COURTROOM.
>> LET ME SAY JENNIFER WE AGAIN
AS YOU INDICATED WE HAD SOME
EXTENT A NUMBER OF GRAND
JURORS. I MEAN A NUMBER OF
JURORS TO BE SLICK FOR THE
GRAND JURY
AND WE RECEIVED REALLY GOOD
REVIEWS REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK
FROM
THOSE PEOPLE THAT IS THEY ALSO
THEY FELT SAFE COMING TO THE
COURTHOUSE. THEY THOUGHT THAT
THEY WERE
HANDLED APPROPRIATELY AND THEY
HAD NO CONCERNS ABOUT THAT IN
FRONT OF THE
RESPONSE RIGHT. IT WAS
RELATIVELY SIMILAR TO THAT THAT
WE RECEIVE PRE COVID SO WE’VE
GOT THOSE SAME
KIND OF PROCEDURES AND SAME
KIND OF SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE
THAT IS THE PPE THE SOCIAL
DISTANCING. THE SIGNS AND WE
THINK THAT WE’RE READY AGAIN.
TO BE ABLE TO REGULAR.
JURY FOR A TRIAL AND LOOK LOOK
FORWARD TO GOING FORWARD AND
THAT MET.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND SO TO
JUST TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE
SPECIFIC TO JUDGE TO WHAT
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT IS THAT
THE JURY BOXES WERE FAMILIAR TO
SEEING WHEN WE’VE BEEN
IN COURT. THEY THE JURORS THEN
WILL BE SEPARATED, SOCIALLY
DISTANCE THEY’LL ALL BE
REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS AS AN
EXAMPLE.
YES FAIL.
>> TYPICALLY, OF COURSE IN THE
JURY SELECTION YOU WOULD HAVE
THE NUMBER OF JURORS IN THE BOX
AND THEY WOULD BE QUESTIONED
INDIVIDUALLY IN THAT SETTING
WE’RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT
ANYMORE WE’RE GOING TO SPREAD
THE JURY’S OUT IN THE AREA THAT
WOULD TYPICALLY BE
RESERVED FOR THE AUDIENCE WERE
GOING TO USE OUR CEREMONIAL
COURTROOMS WHICH ARE LARGER AND
WE CAN SEE 30 PEOPLE 30
POTENTIAL JURORS WITHOUT ANY
REAL DIFFICULT AND SO THAT’S
GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENT THE SELECTION
PROCESS. ONCE WE GET INTO THE
ACTUAL TRIAL. WE’RE GOING TO
GAIN FAT TO KEEP THE JURY
SPREAD OUT WITH MASKS WITH THE
E WITH ALL THE SAFEGUARDS THAT
YOU’D EXPECT IN PLACE DURING
THESE TOUGH AND VERY QUICKLY
ALSO WE WANT TO POINT OUT THAT
ATTORNEYS AND WITNESSES THEY
WILL HAVE TO WEAR A MASK
AS WELL.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WE’VE HEARD
ABOUT THE PROBLEM COVID-19
SPREADING THROUGH THE DUVAL
COUNTY JAIL WHAT’S BEING DONE
TO MAKE SURE DEFENDANT WHO GOES
TO TRIAL DOES NOT BRING IT INTO
THE COURTROOM. >> WELL THAT’S A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE WE’VE IDENTIFIED THOSE
PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE TRIED
THEIR CASES BY
THE UPCOMING AND THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE IS PLACING THOSE
INDIVIDUALS INTO QUARANTINE OF
A WEEK AHEAD OF COMING INTO THE
COURTHOUSE. SO
EVEN THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE ARE
DOING THEIR PART TO TRY TO MAKE
SURE WE KEEP ALL THE PUBLIC AND
ALL THE JURORS SAY THAT THIS
PROCESS
GOING FORWARD.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: CHIEF JUDGE
MARK BEHIND JOINING US THIS
MORNING TO TALK ABOUT A JURY
SELECTION WHICH BEGINS ON
MONDAY DOWNTOWN AT THE DUVAL
COUNTY COURTHOUSE JUDGE THANKS
FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING KNOW