Peters Township magistrate office would close under revised plan
Revisions to a plan to downsize Washington County’s district court system has altered which magistrates would be eliminated.
Washington County officials released the new reestablishment plan last week. It calls for the currently vacant district court in Peters Township to close, as well as Judge Curtis Thompson’s office in Bentleyville, taking the number of district courts from 11 to nine.
Originally, the new maps eliminated magistrates Gary Havelka and Joshua Kanalis. Kanalis’ workload would have been absorbed into Thompson’s district. However, Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said new information led to changes in the plan.
“Judge Thompson informed President Judge (John) DiSalle he would not seek reelection at the end of his term. In light of that, we basically just flipped the districts in terms of what was being eliminated,” Grimm said.
When the county proposes a realignment, there is a 30-day period for public comment. The president judge then submits the plan to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for review and approval.
According to Grimm, Thompson’s decision to retire came after the public comment period for the previous plan. Grimm said the AOPC considered this to be a significant enough change to send the plan back for revisions.
“We looked again through the numbers, the data for the districts. This revised proposal, the numbers are better. It brings more parity. The workload is more balanced,” Grimm said.
The most significant change to the plan was to close the Peters Township district judge’s office rather than Havelka’s. Peters Township cases will now be in the same district as Cecil Township, while Finleyville, Nottingham Township and Union Township will move to Judge Mark Wilson’s court in Monongahela.
At the Peters Township council meeting Monday night, Sean Logue, a criminal defense attorney and solicitor for Charleroi, addressed council during public comment to criticize the plan.
Logue pointed to the increased travel time for Peters Township residents who need to visit the magistrate. Township Manager Paul Lauer expressed concerns about how more travel will lead to higher costs for police when they need to appear in court.
Grimm said that the new district will not necessarily use the current office on Millers Run Road.
“Nothing in the plan dictates where the office location will be, and that goes for any district that’s realigned. If it make sense, the office will stay in its current location. When you have a newly drawn district, it would be our goal to put the office in a central location,” Grimm said.
The proposal itself compares the caseload in Washington County to similarly sized counties.
The average annual caseload for Washington County magistrates is 4,151, similar to the numbers in Fayette and Butler counties. Those counties each have seven magistrates.
Many of the other districts have also changed from the original proposals. East Washington will still move into the city of Washington’s district, but North Franklin will now join a district with South Strabane and Chartiers, overseen by District Judge Michael Manfredi.
While Magistrate James Saieva Jr.’s district was originally going to cover Cecil, Chartiers, Houston, and Canonsburg, it will instead cover Canonsburg, Houston, and North Strabane.
The realignments would be staggered as each district judge’s term expires. The Peters Township office would close at the start of the next year, while Thompson’s court would close in 2028.
The public comment period for the new proposal is open until June 21. A copy can be obtained by contacting court administration at 724-228-6797. Written comments should be directed to Kathy Tarr, deputy court administrator for special courts, at 1 S. Main St., Suite 1003, Washington, PA, 15301. She can also be reached via email at kathy.tarr@washingtoncourts.us/.
The court asks that comments are specific and include the full name and address of the sender.
“Judge DiSalle reads those, and gives them great consideration,” Grimm said.