Bogged-down court dockets take another hit as COVID cancels trials in Beaufort County
The new wave of COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County is disrupting the local courts system, causing the cancellation of jury trials in one Beaufort court on Wednesday.
Court officials sent home dozens of jurors who arrived Wednesday morning for service at Beaufort Magistrate Court on Ribaut Road.
“It’s not safe to have jury trials,” said a court administrator who was checking in the jurors.
Stephanie Garst, court administrator for Beaufort Magistrate, said there was a positive COVID exposure in the Beaufort Magistrate office, which is why they canceled trials for this two-week term.
Around 75 potential jurors were scheduled to come in for seven trials, mostly traffic cases. Garst said squeezing people into enclosed spaces didn’t feel safe.
“It’s just a cramped environment all around,” she said. Additionally, there will no court whatsoever — not just trials, but hearings and pleas — until the magistrate’s office reopens on Aug. 31.
Beaufort County is experiencing a spike in COVID cases, as state health officials report 133 new cases in the county on Tuesday. On Monday, they reported seven new COVID deaths. The county is regularly reporting new daily infection highs, mirroring the 2020 summer surge.
The delta variant is likely responsible: it’s almost twice as transmissible as the original strain of COVID-19, experts say.
As of Monday, nearly 44% of the county’s residents are fully vaccinated against the virus. Hospital officials said the majority of the patients filling up Beaufort County’s hospital ICUs are unvaccinated.
COVID spread slows criminal justice system
The rise is bogging down an already backlogged courts system in Beaufort County.
In General Sessions court this week, where felonies and violent crimes are handled, the trial of three men accused in a 2019 gas station shootout that left a 20-year-old man dead was postponed.
One of the co-defendants tested positive, according to Stephanie Smart-Gittings, chief public defender of the 14th Circuit. The case hasn’t been rescheduled, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.
The co-defendants were being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center, which recently disclosed it had a cluster of positive cases. The jail holds mostly people awaiting trial on their criminal charges. A county spokesperson said “less than 10” people tested positive but declined to specify how many.
Garst, with Beaufort Magistrate Court, said Bluffton’s traffic court also had to shut down earlier this month for a week because of an exposure to court staff and judges.
She said they’re waiting on guidance from the S.C. Supreme Court on how to proceed with criminal court during the delta variant’s surge across the state.
The latest guidance, which permits in-person trials and allows for remote hearings, is set to expire on Aug. 31.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 11:12 AM.
