LOGAN — A panel of judges are scheduled to meet in Logan next month, to hear testimony from individuals and determine whether there is a reason to call a grand jury. The meeting will take place January 9, 2020, at the 1st District Court House.
Grand juries are a screening process for criminal cases but are rarely organized in Utah. They are used to decide whether there is enough evidence for a case to go to trial. Juries have to be unanimous. No defense is allowed at a grand jury investigation. And the grand jury sessions are sealed and not open to the public.
Utah Court’s spokesman Geoff Fattah said individuals who wish to testify for the need of a grand jury must be prepared to give evidence to support their claims. Controversies between individual parties will not be considered. Individuals who need special accommodations during the hearing must notify the court at least three business days prior to the hearing.
Utah’s Grand Jury Statute requires a panel of judges selected from throughout the state to hold hearings in each judicial district every three years. The purpose of the hearings is to determine whether a grand jury needs to be summoned based on evidence of criminal activity. The Grand Jury Panel is comprised of the following judges: Supervising Judge W. Brent West, 2nd District Court; Judge Lynn W. Davis, 4th District Court; Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, 3rd District Court; Judge Eric A. Ludlow, 5th District Court; and Judge Kara Pettit, 3rd District Court.
The Attorney General, a county attorney, district attorney, or special prosecutor appointed under U.C.A. section 77-10a-1 can also present evidence of criminal activity. The panel of judges will hear, in secret, anyone claiming information that justifies calling a grand jury. All individuals appearing before the panel of judges will be placed under oath. If a grand jury is summoned, the jurors will be called from the state-at-large or any judicial district within the state.
Those wanting to testify before the panel of judges should contact Michael C. Drechsel, Assistant State Court Administrator for the Administrative Office of the Courts, at (801) 578-3821 by Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, at 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment. If no appointments are scheduled by that time, the meeting will be canceled without further notice.
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