Jury Trials Set To Resume Monday In Oklahoma County

Jury trials are set to be picked back up on August 17. Trials were halted back in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is many people in the jail that may be guilty,” said Oklahoma County Court Clerk Rick Warren. “But, there are some who may be innocent and they are entitled to a hearing and it is time to give them one.”

Warren said that his team has been planning on how they could safely bring jurors back into the building since March.

“We came to the idea where jurors don’t sit down and we keep them six feet apart,” said Warren.

When jurors arrive on Monday they will be stopped outside to have their temperature taken. If it is less than 100 degrees, they will move inside where they will go through a line, standing six feet apart, to check in.

Finally, when they are assigned to a judge, they will be taken to their designated courtroom where things will also look different.

"They will not sit in the jury box,” said Warren. “They will be spread out across the courtroom, they will be given masks and if they need gloves for handling evidence, we will have gloves. We are going to do everything we can to keep them safe but we have to get the flow of justice going again, due process has to happen,” said Warren.

During the time jury trials weren’t going on, Warren said they missed seven trials.