BAILIFFS 'MISSING' IN COURT DEPUTIES ARE NO-SHOW.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - Three courtrooms were closed and additional help was brought in after sheriff's deputies who serve as courtroom bailiffs did not show up for work Friday. While court officials described the shortage of personnel as a sickout sick·out n. An organized job action in which employees absent themselves from work on the pretext of illness. , part of a job action started last week by deputies displeased dis·please v. dis·pleased, dis·pleas·ing, dis·pleas·es v.tr. To cause annoyance or vexation to. v.intr. To cause annoyance or displeasure. with slow contract negotiations, Sheriff's Department officials said the deputies had already been scheduled to be off that day. ``It has severely impacted our operations. We cannot staff certain courts, and today had been reserved for a number of cases that needed more than the usual number of bailiffs,'' Presiding pre·side intr.v. pre·sid·ed, pre·sid·ing, pre·sides 1. To hold the position of authority; act as chairperson or president. 2. To possess or exercise authority or control. 3. Lancaster Superior Court Judge Steve Ogden Steve Ogden (born 21 September 1950)[1] is a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 5th District. Ogden was elected to the Texas Senate in January 1997, and chairs the Texas Senate Finance Committee. said. One of those cases was a preliminary hearing for a murder case, in which a woman, a man and two teenagers are accused of beating and burning to death a 61-year-old Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital worker with whom the woman lived in a Lancaster mobile-home park. The hearing started after four or five additional deputies were sent up from the Van Nuys Courthouse, court officials said. While court officials said 10 of 17 deputies did not show up for work, Sheriff's Department officials said 12 of 24 were not there because they were scheduled to be off and their absence was not related to sickouts by deputies earlier in the week. The deputies had taken the day off because of a judges conference scheduled for Friday. But because of the earlier sickouts, that conference was canceled, said Andrew Lamberto, assistant division director. A judge on Wednesday barred deputies union leaders from encouraging or influencing members to continue job actions after a sickout by deputies shut down six courthouses and disrupted dis·rupt tr.v. dis·rupt·ed, dis·rupt·ing, dis·rupts 1. To throw into confusion or disorder: Protesters disrupted the candidate's speech. 2. legal proceedings All actions that are authorized or sanctioned by law and instituted in a court or a tribunal for the acquisition of rights or the enforcement of remedies. . The sickouts have come as negotiations have stalled stall 1 n. 1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed. 2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market. b. on a new contract. The old contract expired Tuesday. Court calendars and staffers were shuffled so that cases that needed to be heard Friday were taken care of, court officials said. ``We have rejiggered the court schedule. Fortunately Friday is a light day, and all critical cases, those that are time-sensitive, are accounted for,'' said Allan Parachini, Superior Court spokesman. Ogden said three of seven Lancaster courtrooms were closed. ``We are suspending operations everywhere other than courtrooms where we have no choice,'' Ogden said. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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