DECATUR, Ga. — DeKalb County has resumed grand jury proceedings in the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit.
District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that the proceedings have been modified in an effort to limit possible exposure to COVID-19.
The grand jury proceedings were suspended between March and October because of the pandemic.
"DA Boston’s team worked for months to develop new processes that would allow Grand Jury proceedings to resume while prioritizing the safety and security of potential grand jurors, witnesses, staff, and members of the judiciary," the news release from Boston's office said.
Boston said she was pleased to have a strategy in place that will allow the criminal justice process to move forward.
"Our goal is to keep our staff and grand jurors as safe as possible while also resuming a critical step in our criminal justice process," she said in the news release. "Defendants, victims and the community alike need our process to be working, and resuming Grand Jury is a necessary step in cases moving forward.”
The new process allows for the selection of two complete panels of grand jurors. If an exposure occurs, the second panel may step in with minimal interruption to the operation.
Provisions have also been made to allow prospective grand jurors to appear virtually for the selection process. In-person selection is still in place for those who prefer not to appear virtually.
DeKalb County relocated the process to a larger space and staggered sessions that allow for groups of no more than 33 people, socially-distanced.
Health screenings are required before entering. A mask is required at all times.
The grand jury proceedings now take place in a building adjacent to the courthouse, so that the jurors can sit at individual tables spaced six feet apart.