Westmoreland County court cancels hearings, alters procedures

Criminal court proceedings in Westmoreland County scheduled from Wednesday to March 27 have been canceled under a judicial emergency order issued Tuesday.

Special courts administrator Don Heagy said preliminary hearings for defendants who are incarcerated are still going on at the county’s 17 district court offices as scheduled. Some other matters in criminal court will continue, including emergency bail reviews, bench warrant and detainer hearings and the approval of search warrants.

President Judge Rita Hathaway on Tuesday declared a judicial emergency in Westmoreland County through April 14 amid ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. During that time, a rule related to speedy trials for defendants is suspended.

Criminal court hearings scheduled at the courthouse and district courts for the next eight days will be rescheduled. Defendants will get notice in the mail of new dates.

Also canceled were summary appeal hearings Thursday and contempt and compliance hearings scheduled for Monday at the Greensburg courthouse. Judge Harry Smail is asking that attorneys limit civil and orphans’ court motions to emergency or time-sensitive matters through April 17.

Essential functions of the county courts will continue under Hathaway’s order, including:

• Emergency juvenile dependency and protective custody hearings.

• Emergency and final protection-from-abuse hearings.

• Preliminary arraignments and acceptance of citations and complaints at district courts.

The State Supreme Court on Monday declared a statewide judicial emergency, paving the way for county president judges to declare their own judicial emergencies and change how their courts operate because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A partial shutdown of the Westmoreland County Courthouse operations will start Wednesday, commissioners have ordered. Only essential employees, as determined by department heads and elected officials, will report to work. The scaled-back government operation will run through at least March 30.

As of Tuesday, there was no confirmed case of coronavirus in the county.