ebevins@newsandsentinel.com James Thomas Hendershot is handcuffed by a bailiff Thursday after being found guilty of second-degree murder and concealing a deceased human body at the conclusion of a four-day trial held in City Council chambers at the Parkersburg Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins) Assistant Wood County Prosecutor Russell Skogstad offers a rebuttal to the defense’s closing argument Thursday during the trial of James Thomas Hendershot on charges of second-degree murder and concealing a deceased human body. The trial was held in City Council chambers at the Parkersburg Municipal Building to accommodate social distancing measures. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
PARKERSBURG County officials are still looking into alternative venues to conduct upcoming trials.
Wood County Commissioner Robert Tebay on Thursday asked Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure if court officials have given any more consideration to holding trials at the Smoot Theatre in Parkersburg.
Lefebure said the information has been passed to the circuit judges to consider with at least one showing interest in the idea.
“All three judges have murder trials set in the coming months,” Lefebure said. “It will be up to the judges.”
At a previous meeting, Lefebure told the Wood County Commission that the courts were going to need a larger venue to accommodate a lot of people while maintaining social distancing guidelines and other health concerns during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.