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Montgomery criminal trials suspended as COVID hits state’s attorney’s office
Criminal trials in Maryland District Court have been suspended in Montgomery County until at least Dec. 21 as 20 employees of the state’s attorney’s office there have been sidelined by the COVID-19 virus, either by testing positive or having been exposed to someone who tested positive and being in quarantine, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said Monday.
McCarthy said his entire staff will work remotely and that he has closed the state’s attorney’s offices in the Montgomery County Circuit Courthouse for at least the next two weeks.
Jury trials in circuit courts have already been suspended statewide until at least mid-February under an order from Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera. Criminal trials in district court do not involve juries as verdicts are rendered by the judge.
No criminal trials will be conducted in the district courts in Rockville and Silver Spring “until I can stabilize the COVID issues in my own office,” McCarthy said.
“It is impossible to have a trial,” McCarthy added. “Reevaluation will come in two weeks.”
McCarthy said his office will press ahead with court proceedings that can be accomplished remotely, such as plea agreements and status and scheduling conferences. He praised the district court’s judges and defense counsel for their understanding.
“We’ve had total cooperation,” McCarthy said. “Everybody knows what’s going on.”
