Riley County Attorney says space needs in courthouse are becoming more challenging

Riley County’s top prosecutor says the time is now for county leaders to start having conversations about how to address space concerns inside the Riley County Courthouse.

Courts are preparing for the suspension of statutory speedy trials in Kansas to likely expire in March, meaning more trials happening, and likely over a shorter period of time. That means more people coming and going into the courthouse and with limited space in the hallways, an increased likelihood of jurors, victims, spectators, media and others stacking up in the already tight hallways. County Attorney Barry Wilkerson spoke at Thursday’s county commission meeting.

Wilkerson noted the recent Kamahl Bobian murder trial, which saw the defendant act up in court on a number of occasions, including at sentencing where he got up and left the courtroom as Judge Kendra Lewison sentenced him to a 50 years to life sentence. He says major trials were about once a year when he started in Riley County in 1990. He estimates that to be closer to one major trial per month in some years.

Wilkerson urged commissioners to keep the space needs for the courthouse in the back of their minds. The commission took no action Thursday.