On the first day of his jury trial last week, a Janesville man pivoted and pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison on drug and gun charges, court records show.
JANESVILLE
Rock Countyâs pretrial services program is brushing up against its capacity, but local officials are hopeful the court system will flow more smoothly after being slowed down because of COVID-19.
The program, which is less than a year old, has 152 participants as of Monday, a figure that was shared Thursday during a meeting of the countyâs Evidence-Based Decision Making Committee.
Michael Gutjahr of JusticePoint, the group that runs the pretrial services program for Rock County, said Thursday that they have enough resources to handle 165 cases and perhaps a handful more.
As The Gazette reported previously, Rock County Court officials finished 31% fewer criminal cases in 2020 when compared to 2019. One judge theorized that not having jury trials meant there was one less incentive to finish cases in a timely manner.
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The Gardner Scene: Willie ‘Cannonball’ Jackman and his appearances in Gardner
Famed Negro League pitcher with a blazing fastball was a popular player whenever his team barnstormed into town
Mike Richard
Special for The Gardner News
In commemoration of Black History Month, it may be an appropriate time to remember one of the most celebrated barnstorming baseball players to appear in the area.
During the 1920s and 1930s, sandlot baseball was highly popular in Gardner, with summer games topping the bill at Wilder Field and some 2,000 fans cramming into the friendly confines of the grandstand on weekends.
There were some big names and talented teams of renown who visited Gardner during that era, including a team known by the politically incorrect name by today’s standards – the Philadelphia Colored Giants.