BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Tuesday Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced that felony hearings and pleas will resume in a virtual courtroom setting this week.
All non-essential court hearings were adjourned on March 16 because of the coronavirus pandemic. These felony hearings will be conducted before a judge in the jurisdiction where the alleged crime took place. The victim or witness must be present virtually to testify. The defendant and defense attorney must also be virtually present during the hearing.
“While we cannot return to in-person court proceedings at this time, I am pleased to announce that we can continue to move these criminal cases forward while maintaining social distancing practices. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute these matters while doing our best to ensure the health and safety of our victims, witnesses, court staff, and members of law enforcement,” Flynn said.
Starting this week the DA's office will coordinate with defense attorneys and judges to schedule virtual court appearances for defendants to enter guilty pleas. Only an Assistant DA and a witness will be in a conference room during the virtual court proceedings, separated by six feet. All evidence will be sent to the judge electronically.
