Dougherty County seeking funds to address backlog of court cases delayed due to COVID-19

ALBANY — A fund allocated to Georgia courts could help Dougherty County catch up on court cases delayed due to COVID-19 and free up money previously set aside for that purpose for other uses.

The announcement of the $110 million fund came on Oct. 28, and the deadline for applications was Tuesday, so Dougherty County officials were rushing to beat the deadline.

The Dougherty County Commission gave its approval for making a grant application during a special called meeting on Monday. The funds to be made available come from federal COVID relief money to the state set aside by Gov. Bryan Kemp for courts.

“It was $1.8 million at the time it was presented to us,” Dougherty County Administrator Michael McCoy said Tuesday of the initial request. “It could be more because it’s a work in progress.”

Courts across the state were shut down for months during the coronavirus pandemic, and in Dougherty County that was compounded by a flooding incident in the courthouse building that caused an additional shutdown.

Last week, Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards told The Herald that the emphasis moving forward in trying to address the backlog was some 10 homicide cases that involve multiple defendants. Two additional armed robbery cases that involve multiple defendants also are a high priority.

“This is what the money is for, to clear the backlog of serious, violent felonies,” McCoy said.

The money can be used for such things as hiring additional personnel and providing additional work space and trial venues, he said.

Prior to the announcement of the grant program, the county had set aside $100,000 from a separate allocation of federal funds to assist courts in moving criminal cases forward.

“We moved $100,000 from that purpose once we learned the governor had allocated $100 million to help address the backlog of court cases,” McCoy said.

The Albany Civic Center is being considered as a trial venue. The arena seems to best check off the boxes of requirements, from space to provide social distancing to the availability of Wi-Fi and internet access that will be needed.

Some of the cases involve four or five defendants, and among them are some that could bring the death penalty with convictions.

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