Jury selection began Monday at the Dare County Justice Center in the trial of one the inmates charged with the deaths of four workers at Pasquotank Correctional Institute during a failed escape attempt.
And one of the side effects of the trial being held in Manteo is that parking has been at a premium.
A total of 600 Dare County residents have been called to possibly serve on the jury in the first-degree trial of Mikel Brady, one of four inmates who could face the death penalty for the Oct. 2017 attacks.
He faces four counts of first degree murder in connection with the deaths of Correction Enterprises Manager Veronica Darden, 50; corrections officers Justin Smith, 35, and Wendy Shannon, 49; and maintenance mechanic Geoffrey Howe, 31.
The trial was moved out of Elizabeth City at the request of Brady’s attorneys, who wanted it shifted out of the First Judicial District.
That request was denied by Resident Superior Court Judge Jerry R. Tillett, who is presiding over the trial, and instead scheduled it for Manteo.
Because of the size of the jury pool and added security, coupled with a regular county business day at other buildings at the government complex, shuttle service is being offered from a satellite parking lot at the COA campus near downtown Manteo.
There have also been changes to the schedule on Tuesday for potential jurors, according to Dare County Clerk of Superior Court Dean Tolson:
All Jurors summoned to Dare County Criminal Superior Court to begin on Monday October 7, 2019 are to take special notice of the following changes in reporting instructions as of 5:00 pm today. Please take note as to which time you were ordered to report as times have changed. There are three separate jury pools with different dates and times to report and it is imperative that you know which one you have been selected for.
Jury Pool #1
If you reported on Monday October 7, 2019 at 10:30 am your time to report on Tuesday October 8, 2019 is 9:30 am. Please report to the Dare County Justice Center located at 962 Marshall C. Collins Drive Manteo, NC. Parking will be provided in the front and south side parking lots. Please arrive at least 30 minutes early to allow for extra time for parking and to pass through security when entering the building. You may be directed to an alternate parking area if parking becomes congested, so arriving early is strongly advised. You need to be in the Jury Assembly Room located on the second floor of the Justice Center at 9:30 am. No purses are allowed in the courthouse so make sure you secure it in your vehicle. Cell phones will be allowed along with a wallet or small handbag.Jury Pool #2
If you were instructed to report on Monday October 7, 2019 at 3:00 pm your time to report has been changed to 11:30 am on Tuesday October 8, 2019. Due to parking congestion you will report to the College of the Albemarle Roanoke Island Campus located at 205 Uppowoc Avenue Manteo. We will be providing a shuttle service to the Dare Justice Center for your convenience. The parking area is located across from Chesley Mall on the south side of the COA Campus and we will have event parking signs out to guide you. Please arrive at the parking area a minimum of 30 minutes early due to the commute to the Justice Center.Jury Pool #3
All jurors who were instructed to report on Tuesday October 8, 2019 at 9:00 am are not to report on this day as previously instructed. You are now instructed to call our jury information line after 7:00 pm on Tuesday October 8, 2019 to receive updated reporting instructions. We will continue to issue updated reporting instructions on Facebook if there are any changes and remember to call the jury information number at (252) 475-5205.
