Centralized court may be created in McKeesport

By Christine Haines

chaines@yourmvi.com

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact operations for the courts.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala is looking into creating a centralized court in the Mon Valley that would operate out of McKeesport.

The concept is being explored as virus concerns push more proceedings into the virtual realm.

“District Attorney Zappala has been working with a number of people, including State Sen. Jim Brewster and McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko, to create a centralized method of holding preliminary hearings throughout the Mon Valley in our McKeesport office,” said DA’s office spokesman Mike Manko. “This has long been a goal of DA Zappala’s, and with the increased use of video conferencing technology during the pandemic, there was an opportunity to put the plan into action.”

Manko said if preliminary efforts work out, the system could be used for family court matters so Mon Valley residents would only need to go to McKeesport instead of into Pittsburgh for hearings. However, the system is still in the preliminary testing phases. 

Manko said it could also be a way to limit exposure to COVID-19, which has affected the court system. 

Most recently, Magisterial District Judge Beth Scagline Mills’ office was impacted when officers in the Elizabeth Borough police force were exposed to the virus.

“Fortunately, the officer that was in my court wore his mask and the attorney distanced 6 feet away,” Mills said.

While the police department was quarantined, criminal cases in Mills’ office were put on hold to prevent the spread of the virus.

“We’re running the same as usual except for criminal cases because we had so many police come down with COVID,” Mills said, “so we aren’t hearing criminal cases until Sept. 23.”

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