FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jon Turney, Stow Municipal Court
(330) 564-4188
March 16, 2020
Stow Municipal Court to Limit In-person Operations
(Stow, Ohio) After consulting with local government partners and health experts, the Stow Municipal Court will be taking unprecedented steps to adjust court operations to minimize traffic coming in and out of the courthouse. The Court will continue to conduct criminal arraignments and hearings for defendants who are in custody, however every effort will be made to utilize the video conferencing options that are available to limit in-person contact. Further, security staff will be limiting access to the Courthouse to essential parties only (defendants, attorneys, witnesses, victims). All others are asked to stay home or remain in their vehicles.
Individuals who have received minor misdemeanor criminal summons or traffic citations are directed to stowmunicourt.com to enter not guilty pleas, request a continuance, or pay waivers (if applicable). Those individuals who enter not guilty pleas or request continuances will be contacted by the Court’s Case Management staff to schedule future hearings.
The Civil Docket will be limited to essential hearings only. Parties with non-essential hearings scheduled in the coming weeks will be notified of changes as soon as possible. Attorneys and case parties are encouraged to check the Court’s website for the status of hearings and future scheduled dates.
The Community Control Department will continue to operate using the remote supervision tools that are available. There will be no in-person meetings until further notice. Individuals who are on Community Control (probation) will receive instructions from their supervising officer to schedule appointments via video conference or over the phone.
As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic continues to evolve, additional changes may be implemented to adapt to the changing situation. The Court thanks the public and our community partners for their patience and cooperation during this extraordinary time.
A downloable copy of this Media Alert may be found here: Media Alert – March 13, 2020