CLEARFIELD – At least two magisterial district judges, attorneys and some court staffers are preparing for a long day in court Tuesday.
Two judges, Patrick N. Ford and James Hawkins, have a total of 74 cases to hear Tuesday. Thirty-six people are scheduled for a special session of Centralized Court on counts that were filed as a result of a two-day drug sweep on the DuBois area.
The first case is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in each of the two courtrooms at the Clearfield County Jail. The last is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
The 36 people will have an opportunity to hear some of the evidence the commonwealth has against them at the preliminary hearing stage. If they opt for a hearing, the judge will have to decide whether it is more likely than not that a crime was committed and that the person before him more likely than not committed it. Another option for the defendants is to waive the hearing, meaning that the judge does not have to determine if there is enough evidence, and the case automatically moves to the next step in the court process.
Court records show that a number of people charged allegedly sold drugs – heroin, cocaine, prescription medication, etc. – to a confidential informant. Most defendants are being housed at CCJ in lieu of $50,000 straight bail in each case.
GantDaily will provide updates on each case throughout the day Tuesday.