CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday outlined what aspects of the county’s court system it has deemed as “essential” and as “non-essential.”
Gov. Tom Wolf yesterday strongly urged the closure of all “non-essential businesses” statewide for a period of two weeks in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
As a result of this announcement, a meeting was held with the Clearfield County Commissioners and court officials to discuss county government and the Clearfield County court system.
Afterwards, President Judge Fredric Ammerman and Judge Paul Cherry met with District Court Administrator F. Cortez “Chip” Bell and Clearfield County Court Administration to discuss the same.
According to a news release issued by the court, the following aspects of the Clearfield County Court System are considered to be “essential” and shall not be affected by the governor’s declaration:
- Criminal (including summary appeals);
- Protection from Abuse petitions and hearings;
- Adult and Juvenile Probation Offices;
- Children and Youth Services (Dependency and Truancy cases); and
- Domestic Relations (Child Support and Temporary Alimony Litigation); and
- most custody issues.
“Other civil cases have been deemed ‘non-essential’ and any scheduled hearings within the next two weeks will either be continued or, if possible, occur via telephonic participation,” the release stated.
“All court-related offices, which shall include court administration, adult probation, juvenile probation, domestic relations and magisterial district courts will remain open for business during the next two weeks.”
The release also noted that: “Making an appointment in advance is requested, but not mandatory.”
