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Plans are coming together to fix the poor audio quality in the Freestone County Courthouse’s district courtroom.
Freestone County Commissioners took steps to make the changes at their March 6 meeting, when they also agreed to make the Victim Coordinator position full-time; heard an update on Wortham’s new brush truck; and made other decisions concerning the county’s finances and well-being.
As for the improvement to the district courtroom, the commissioners considered a proposal to install audio-visual equipment from a company called JAVS (Justice Audio Visual Solutions).
JAVS Regional Sales Manager Presley Meyer spoke to the court about the company’s years of experience and how the equipment could amplify the voices of the people speaking in the courtroom. Extra speakers and computer monitors would also be installed at the judge’s desk, the witness stand, the gallery and other locations in the courtroom.
Supporting the proposal at the meeting were 77th District Court Judge Patrick Simmons, 87th District Court Judge Amy Thomas Ward and District Court Coordinator Misty Lewis.
County Attorney Brian Evans also said that currently a mobile TV must be rolled into the courtroom to allow video to be played, which requires the jury to be moved so everyone can see the video.
Judge Ward said the sound quality is so poor in the district courtroom that she often has to stop the proceedings to wait for a truck to pass by if the person on the stand is soft spoken.
“I cannot think of a more important place than a courtroom for the people in that courtroom – the court reporter, myself as judge, the attorneys and for sure our jury – to understand and hear what is being said,” Ward told the commissioners.
Judge Simmons noted that he will be retiring so the improvements would not affect him, but would help people in the courtroom in the future.
“Folks come in and they have a right to watch the trial,” Simmons said, “and right now they can’t see anything.”
Precinct 4 Commissioner Clyde Ridge Jr. confirmed that something must be done about the problem; he suggested the use of double-paned windows to block outside noise.
VICTIM COORDINATOR POSITION TO GO FROM PART TIME TO FULL-TIME
In other business, County Attorney Brian Evans requested that the Victim Coordinator position, which is currently part-time, be made full-time. The position used to be paid in part by the Attorney General’s Office; but now the AG’s Office has defunded the position. Evans said he has allocated $52,000 from Senate Bill 22 funds to pay for the position, but he lacks $10,600 for the insurance.
The commissioners agreed to pay the $10,600 if Evans cannot find the funds in another budget line.
When someone in the audience asked what the victim coordinator does, Evans said his office gets 600 cases a year, of which a high percentage of the cases have a victim.
“It takes a lot of time to make sure the victims are informed of what is upcoming,” he said.
They can get help in getting on VINE link to track an abuser that’s in jail, and for them to keep up with whether they’re incarcerated or not, he said. There is victim compensation whether they are moving away from the abuser, have damage to their home, travel expenses, hotel expenses and many other things. Protective restraining orders are also a time-consuming task.
NEW WORTHAM BRUSH TRUCK COMING
On another agenda item, Wortham Fire Chief Kelly Craig presented to the court quotes on a new large brush truck, a 2024 International CV 515.
The quote was $80,690 for the chassis, with delivery estimated between June and August. The outfitting cost would be $186,060, for a total of $266,750.
“As soon as the truck is completed, the truck will get delivered to us,” Craig told the court. “The day it gets delivered, we will be calling the Forestry Service to come do their inspection. They’ll come within a day or so; they usually come pretty quick. So then we’ll get a check for $240,000, so that will leave a difference of $26,750.
The court agreed to pay that difference. The $240,000 check will go to the county.
OTHER COURT DECISIONS
In other business, the court:
• Approved a recommendation by the Communications Board to appoint Holly Roberson and Laura Tugwell to that board;
• Agreed to take no action to reinstate a burn ban;
• Approved a replat of Lot No. 10 and 11 Blocks of Cape Estes Subdivision into a final plot of Lot 10-R; and
• Approved the low bid on concrete for the parking area around the Tax Building, formerly the Chiropractic Building.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Lloyd Lane said the best quotes from reputable companies were $29,600, $27,000 and $24,700.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
In the public comments portion of the meeting, retired civil engineer Charles Morgan told the court that low-frequency noise from oil and gas machinery continues to injure residents.
“We’ve got to get it turned around somehow,” he said, “and we can start in this county, by talking to the oil-and-gas people ourselves and say, ‘Hey, look, you’re harming our people and we’re not going to put up with our kids getting brain damage in our county.’” A second public comment was made by County Treasurer Jeannie Keeney, who introduced new Fairfield Fire Chief Anthony Roberts. Keeney is also secretary of the Freestone County Firefighters Association.
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