As jury trials are allowed to resume in Iowa this month, the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors approved a temporary change in location for the jury selection process in order to follow social distancing guidelines.

The Supervisors decided to go with County Attorney Brenna Bird’s initial proposal of holding jury selection across the street from the courthouse at the First Baptist Church, while trials will still be held in the courtroom. The church will not charge rent, but the County will have to pay $150 each for cleaning before and after jury selection. While the Supervisors were not enthused at the extra costs this change will bring to the County, Judges Michael Jacobsen and Tom Murphy attended the recent Board meeting to reiterate that the State Judicial Branch has deemed the courthouse unsafe for jury selection. Bird also proposed having the Guthrie County Fairgrounds Event Center as a backup location, for which the Fair Board charges $200 per day plus cleaning costs.