Judge Grant Kinsey judicial update

While there have been inevitable hiccups in the criminal justice system everywhere as a result of the impact of COVID-19, things are running smoothly in Coryell County, said 440th District Court Judge Grant Kinsey.

Kinsey recently gave an update on how criminal justice proceedings are going during a meeting of the Gatesville Lions Club. He is one of two district judges in Coryell County, along with 52nd District Court Judge Trent Farrell.

Kinsey said he and Farrell share jurisdiction and have similar duties. However, because of Farrell's longer tenure, he is the administrative judge for the county. Farrell also oversees many of the Child Protective Services cases for Coryell County.

"We have been dealing with the ongoing health crisis for nearly two years now, and I had hoped that by this year it wouldn't be a concern anymore," Kinsey said. 

"Thanks in large part to the good work of the district attorney's office, led by Dusty Boyd, and the county attorney's office, led by Brandon Belt, we are in good shape. They have worked very hard and paid close attention to the number of cases that are disposed of. We are in much better shape than many of the larger counties around us."

Kinsey also attributed that to Coryell County's size.

"We are small enough that the number of criminal cases is not ridiculously high but large enough to have the resources to deal with things efficiently," he said.

In 2021, 651 criminal cases were filed in Coryell County and 132 were disposed of through pleas or trials, Kinsey said. He added that including previous years, there are about 990 criminal cases pending in Coryell County.

"That sounds like a large number but we are a growing county and I assure you it is not a large number per capita," Kinsey said. He said the DA's office and court system has been able to dispose of a large number of criminal cases despite "these trying circumstances. We have been limited on the number of jury trials that can be held (because of the pandemic)."

Thanks to an agreement with the city of Gatesville, Kinsey said the county has been able to hold jury trials at the Gatesville Civic Center.

"They have leased it to us on an as-needed basis," he said. "I am thankful we are able to rent the civic center, and the county commissioners court has made the financial resources available for us to be able to do that."

That additional space available at the civic center "enables us to keep people 6 feet apart (as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)," Kinsey said. "There is a large room for juries to deliberate and hopefully keep people safe. I'm amazed at how successful it's been."

Also helping to keep the wheels of justice moving smoothly is the high number of Coryell County residents who respond to a jury summons, Kinsey said.

"The response of our residents when they receive a jury summons has been high, and I appreciate that they are showing up," he said. "In many surrounding counties, it is difficult. Not as many people show up for jury duty. Fortunately, we do not have that problem here in Coryell County."

He said there is sometimes a challenge caused by the number of military personnel moving in and out that leads to outdated lists of potential jurors but despite that, the high number of people responding offsets that potential problem.

The court system was under more restrictions over the last year and a half to two years, Kinsey said, and although some of those restrictions have been lifted, the local court system tries to abide by the restrictions as much as possible in order to keep people healthy and safe.

He said the impact of COVID-19 has been frustrating, "and quite frankly I'm getting tired of it. I am ready for things to get back as close to normal as we can get them."

While criminal cases take priority, civil trials have been largely sidelined.

"We haven't had a civil trial in two years," Kinsey said.

Those scheduling court cases have "done a good job trying to resolve cases and not letting them stack up," he said.

Kinsey was asked what cases those accused of a crime may plead guilty to in order to avoid a trial.

"The only thing a person cannot plead to in Texas is the death penalty," Kinsey said. "They can plead guilty and receive life in prison."

Kinsey also praised law enforcement for working as efficiently as possible to avoid high numbers of people staying in jail, except for the most serious cases.

"The jail count I recently heard was 132 people (in the Coryell County Jail)," he said. "Eight months ago, it was 200-something. Between officers, the court, prosecutors, and pretrial, all are working to reduce the backlog of cases by a very substantial amount.

"Mr. Boyd and Mr. Belt's offices are doing all they can to alleviate the (jail) overcrowding problem. The numbers are about as low as you can do it consistently with justice."