COLORADO SPRINGS — Jury trials are being suspended until next year in El Paso and Teller counties as COVID-19 cases continue to increase.
Jury trials between Nov. 12, 2020, and Jan. 8, 2021, are suspended and any jury trials currently ongoing will not be impacted by an order from the 4th Judicial District's chief judge Tuesday.
"While the Fourth Judicial District has safely conducted sixty-six jury trials over the last four months, I find that the Fourth Judicial District can no longer safely assemble a jury pool," the order stated.
The order cites the rising cases in both counties, the shift to a more restrictive level on the state's COVID-19 dial, and the outbreak at the El Paso County Jail as several reasons for the postponement of trials. Both counties are sitting in Safer At Home Level 2: Concern on the state's dial.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has stopped transporting inmates to the courthouse due to the outbreak at the jail where 73 staff and 911 inmates are currently with the virus as of Monday. The sheriff's office also confirmed to News5 there are two employees currently hospitalized.
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