El Paso County Judicial Building staff member tests positive for COVID-19

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) —  A court staff member working in the El Paso County Judicial Building has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department. The staff member has been quarantined since Friday afternoon.

Chief Judge William Bain, and the El Paso County Department of Public Health, decided to limit court operations to essential functions only for at least the next two weeks.

The staff member worked a criminal docket on July 27 in Division 15. They were also in a four-hour proceeding on July 29 in Division 19. 

The Colorado Judicial Department is asking anyone who appeared in Division 15 or 19 on these dates to email 04Administration@judicial.state.co.us for more information and to assist with contact tracing.

Chief Judge William Bain said they are working to notify all the people who may have come into contact with that staff member. They will ask those people to quarantine for 14 days from the date of their exposure.

Chief Judge Bain said that while they make those notifications, the court will continue to offer limited emergency services that include:

1. Petitions for temporary civil protection orders and permanent protection order hearings subject to paragraph 6(c) of this Order;
2. Petitions for temporary emergency risk protection orders and hearings on emergency risk protection orders;
3. Crim. P. Rule 5 advisements for incarcerated persons and initial setting of bail;
4. Revocation hearings on complaints to revoke probation involving an incarcerated defendant; in light of the recommendation from the El Paso County Department of Health and the fact that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office does not have the technological capability to conduct revocation hearings remotely, the Chief Judge finds good cause to reschedule all revocation hearings currently set between August 3, 2020 and August 14, 2020.; such hearings shall be rescheduled for the week of August 17, 2020;
5. Proceedings necessary to protect the constitutional rights of criminal defendants including bond-related matters and plea agreements for incarcerated individuals; bond will be addressed at the Rule 5 advisement hearing and will not be addressed again until August 17, 2020 or after; in light of the recommendation from the El Paso County Department of Health and the fact that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office does not have the technological capability to conduct audio-video hearings, no plea agreements for in-custody defendants shall be accepted until August 17, 2020 or after;
6. Juvenile detention and advisement hearings for juvenile delinquency cases;
7. Shelter hearings in dependency and neglect cases;
8. Petitions for appointment of an emergency guardian and/or special conservator and hearings related to same;
9. Hearings on motions to restrict parenting time and parental abduction prevention;
10. Emergency mental health filings and proceedings;
11. Other proceedings deemed necessary by the Chief Judge to prevent a substantial risk of imminent financial hardship or imminent risk to the health, safety or welfare of any individual or members of the community.

Information on how to contact the court regarding cases may be found at https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/County/Index.cfm?County_ID=6.

If people experience symptoms of COVID-19, El Paso County Public Health recommends they get tested. You can find testing sites at Public Health's website.