The trial of William Edward Adams, who is charged with two counts of murder, was supposed to start on Monday, but Robert Windsor’s trial was still going on in courtroom No. 2.  It left the Adams trial without a venue leading the judge to grant a continuance, which will mean rescheduling.  Now, there’s no telling when the Adams trial is going to begin.  Superior Court Clerk Al Jean Bogle said it could be months.

Bogle said Catawba County typically has three or four cases held in Superior Criminal Court each year, which are held in Courtroom No. 2.  Whereas this year, there are already 13 people indicted on murder charges whose trials need to scheduled in the room, plus the five people charged with murder last week. 

And Bogle said most trials in superior criminal court last several weeks, and possibly even several months, as did the Windsor trial, which began on Dec. 13 and ended on Monday.

Catawba County has the use of seven courtrooms, five of which are at the Catawba County Justice Center.  Two are designated as superior court rooms, one for civil cases like lawsuits, and one for capital crimes.  The five other courtrooms are district court cases, with three in the Justice Center and two more in Hickory.

Courtroom No. 2 where Robert Windsor was found guilty of first-degree murder on March 12 is one of only two superior courtrooms at the Catawba County Justice Center.

The most recent report of the county’s caseloads shows that between the beginning of June 2005 through the end of May 2006, the county handled 55,202 cases, Bogle said. She said the district courtrooms have 10 times the case volume of the superior courtroom.

“That’s a lot of cases,” she said, adding that the numbers continue to increase, however she hasn’t received the reports from 2007 yet.

Adding to the courtroom scheduling dilemma is the fact that there are about to be 10 types of court.  There is family court, child support court, juvenile court, drug treatment court, infraction court, small claims court, criminal court, civil court, domestic violence court and soon there will be family drug treatment court.  And Bogle said each type of court needs its own courtroom and has very specific needs.  For instance she said juvenile cases can only be heard in courtroom No. 4, because it’s the only one with a video camera, which is required by law to record those type of cases.  The same courtroom is also needed for all first appearance because it’s the only one where inmates can appear in court on a video screen without leaving the prison.  The Catawba County Sheriff’s Department does that to prevent unnecessary movement of prisoners and increase safety.

Catawba County just added the domestic violence court in January increasing the number of different types of courts to nine.  Now, District Court Judge Robert Brady has requested the county add a family drug treatment court, making one more that court clerks have to find space for in an already overly congested courthouse, according to Bogle.

Catawba County is already planning to expand the Justice Center to alleviate the problem.  The expansion, which is estimated to exceed $30 million, will provide more space for court clerks downstairs and add another three of four small courtrooms upstairs.  Bogle said unfortunately, the expansion is at least three years from completion.