SYLVANIA, Ohio — A Sylvania Municipal Court judge announced Tuesday the court will enact temporary operational measures in an effort to protect its staff and citizens among COVID-19 spread concerns.
Judge Michael Bonfiglio said the court is now closed to the public, except for defendants, witnesses, victims, attorneys and law enforcement officers. He added that all individuals appearing for scheduled hearings must practice social distancing protocols and that sick people will not be allowed in the building.
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Other measures to address the spread of the virus include:
- Felony and in-custody cases will proceed as scheduled, however other cases will be rescheduled to a date after May 1. Those include traffic, operating under the influence (with the exception of arraignments), and non-violent criminal cases, and probation hearings.
- Violent criminal cases involving domestic violence, assault, menacing, child endangerment, temporary protection order violations and any sexually-oriented offenses will proceed as scheduled. That will also be the case for all emergency motion hearings.
- All fines, fees, and costs that are due between March 12 and May 1 shall be continued an additional 90 days from the original due date. If the new due date should fall over a weekend or holiday, it will be continued to the next business day.
- Payment of fines, costs, and fees will only be accepted online.
- Effective Wednesday, individuals with open-warrants must contact the court over the phone to schedule an appearance date to address the warrant. No unscheduled appearances will be permitted.
- All jury trials will be rescheduled.
- Effective Wednesday, all civil proceedings, except emergency actions, are suspended for a period of 60 days. Civil proceedings may be conducted via telephone at the discretion of the Judge. Any filings should be made via e-mail at clerk@sylvaniacourt.com or by fax at (419) 885-8987.
- Effective Wednesday, the court will temporarily suspend certain local rules to permit individuals or attorneys to file motions for continuance in criminal, traffic and civil matters scheduled for trial or hearing. Motions may be filed via e-mail at clerk@sylvaniacourt.com or by fax at (419) 885-8987.
- If a defendant’s speedy trial rights expire less than 15 days after a scheduled trial date, defense counsel and the prosecutor are ordered to contact the court to schedule a telephone pre-trial. The telephone pre-trial must be scheduled seven days before the scheduled trial date. All parties should continue to engage in discovery and work in good faith on the resolution of pre-trial issues via telephone and through electronic communications.
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