The lack of court infrastructure in River Gee County has drawn the ire of the Presiding Judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit, Wesseh A Wesseh.
The judge expressed his disappointment at the poor state of the court in the county, citing the absence of basic facilities and only two bailiffs serving the entire court.
This dire situation recently played out in the case of defendant Thomas Karpeh Collins, who was indicted for Statutory Rape on September 1, 2021.
During his trial on Thursday, June 1, Collins requested to use the restroom, but there was no public toilet available in the courthouse, which is housed in a private home.
As a result, the court officer took Collins into the bush to relieve himself, but he managed to escape from the officer’s custody.
Judge Wesseh has blamed the prison officer for negligence and has threatened to jail the officer if Collins is not found within days.
The judge has suspended the trial for the time being, as the search for Collins continues.
However, the incident has highlighted the urgent need for better court infrastructure in River Gee County, to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
