Etowah County Jury Reporting Changed due to weather

The Etowah County Judicial Building was closed Thursday, and jurors who had been scheduled to report Thursday morning have been instructed to appear at 8:30 a.m. next Tuesday.

Jurors who were supposed to have reported Wednesday morning already had been informed they should report at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Jurors scheduled to report Today are expected to report as instructed, at 8:30 a.m. Any changes in plans for jurors will be posted on the county website, and jurors will be notified.

A large jury pool had been assembled for the capital murder trial of Joyce Hardin Garrard, charged in the February 2012 death of her granddaughter Savannah Hardin. Etowah Circuit Judge William Ogletree discussed potential weather problems in a hearing Tuesday, when forecasts had begun to predict substantial snow. He told attorneys the primary concern was safety for jurors.

Although the trial is expected to be lengthy, Ogletree told attorneys there was “no hurry” in starting it.