Chalk up another first at the Starke County Justice Center. Judge Kim Hall conducted the first hearings in the circuit courtroom at the facility yesterday.
A total of 10 defendants – five men and five women appeared for various proceedings including initial hearings and probation violations. All were inmates at the jail, which meant the jail staff did not have to transport them from the facility east of Knox on State Road 8 to the courthouse for their hearings.
The courtroom will be used on an as-needed basis for proceedings involving individuals incarcerated in the jail. Plans also call for the installation of equipment at the courthouse to accommodate video arraignment of inmates so hearings can be conducted more efficiently.
