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Defendants miss court due to sheriff’s office error
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A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ordered the Sheriff’s Office to appear in court on Monday to explain why its deputies were not taking inmates to their court hearings.
As many as 46 defendants involving 61 criminal cases missed their scheduled court appearances Monday because of what sheriff’s officials called a “major miscommunication.”
During a brief court appearance, an attorney with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office assured Judge Anna Baca that the sheriff’s in-custody defendants would be escorted to their hearings in the future. But lawyer Clarisse McCormick did not explain why they missed court.
Representatives of the sheriff’s office later said that a team of deputies in charge of moving inmates was not on duty because they were mistakenly told they would not be working.
Loretta Barkell, chief of business operation for the sheriff’s office, said planned changes to the way inmates are moved to court were scrapped at the last minute.
“As a result, the overtime crew that should have been there was not, and the courts did not get full service,” Barkell said.
Had inmates continued to miss court appearances, it could have jeopardized criminal cases by violating the defendants’ right to a speedy trial, said J.W. Brown, a Superior Court spokeswoman.
The sheriff’s office had sent out a memo on Friday stating it was not taking defendants to justice courts, civil cases, or to hearings that determine a defendant’s immigration status — known as Simpson hearings. Brown said local justice courts were also slightly affected.
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