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Show '3'11' ' f . a ; . ' 'rr ' . . K S I : H -':: ; f: I site- ?;;'y'- 'H ' i . i y -r . 1N(v:;w r. ': k--'- . N "7 " 1 , (left Tt .:' ' " eitifei ' ' ill 'r- Judge Vergil Peterson takes time to chat about his duties after nearly three months as (Justice ofthe Peace in North Utah County. , , New Justice of Peace s svstem still in transition v K Judge Vergil D. Peterson, North 595 ; Utah County Justice of the Peace, "" reports that the new consolidated iM J.P. system seems to be working j very well. i In January of this year the county , began a new program where they have the county divided into three j areas for Justice of the Peace 3 courts. jjf The biggest problem, so far, Judge Peterson said, is the combining of y the records from the three previous 1 courts in Pleasant Grove, American iFork and Lehi. It is taking long hours to get all of the records put into the computers, he stated. He anticipates that they will work a lot of overtime and have the backlog until about the end of May when things should smooth out somewhat. Judge Peterson estimates that they handle about 2,000 cases a month. Most are just a matter of people coming in and paying their fine or mailing in the fine. Many result in consultations with the judge and some come to trial. There are both jury and non-jury trials. They use a four-man jury in the J.P. courts. So far he has only had two jury trials in the first three months of the consolidated system. Judge Peterson said that a defen-dent defen-dent has the right to choose a jury trial. A request for such usually comes through an attorney, he noted. The judge said that he would guess that about 95 per cent of the cases he. hears are traffic offenses and many of those are speeding citations. See Justice of Peace page 12 Justice oi Feace system" di.i Some are DU1 ana tne jury trials he has had have both been DUI cases. They call in about 12 people as prospective jurors. They call that many because some can be dismissed for cause by both attorneys. at-torneys. He said that in the future they may decide to only call 10 prospective jurors. The judge also stated that they may be handling some small claims court items in the future. He onlv hears cases resulting from who served a Spanish speaking LDS Mission and can come and interpret for him when necessary. Judge Peterson handles a wide variety of cases from a citizens arrest made on someone shooting from a car to animal problems. The American Fork resident was a real estate broker before he became the Justice of the Peace. He was approached by a Utah County Commissioner about running for the position. He had not been involved with the law before. He said that he receives training from the state but feels that a new Justice of the Peace ought to be trained completely before he takes office. The judge has performed several weddings since taking office and he has found that to be a fun part of the job. He is a former LDS bishop and so this part of the work was not completely new to him. Judge Peterson is assisted in his court by clerks Taiana eruw.. Glenda Tremayne. He said they have had volumes of work to day putting all the information from the three courts into the computer The judge is married and tne father of two children and he has four grandchildren. In his spare time he likes to do volunteer Scout work. He likes to camp and enjoys the outdoors and sports. He also likes to work with wood when he has time. citations issued by county officials and Utah Highway Patrol. He does not handle cases involving city officers. of-ficers. In the J.P. Court the judge hears Class B Misdemeanors or less. He can give prison sentences up to six months and fines up to $1,000. Judge Peterson said that paying a fine is a way of partly making restitution to the public. He noted that he must make a record of everything that comes into his office. He added that it is interesting the way people approach him on cases. He said that someone who is demanding and belligerent does not get as sympathetic an ear from the judge as those who approach him in a calmer way. He said he listens closely to pleas from those who would have a hard time paying the entire fine, but decides what is best by hard reasoning. He explained that sometimes it is very difficult for him to make a decision on a case. When both parties have made good arguments it becomes difficult to make the correct decision. He also stated that he encourages everyone who wants to have a jury trial to have an attorney so that they can really have a fair trial. Judge Peterson said, "The laws are there for the benefit of the people. Those same people who may complain and break a law may later ha nv'itofiil fnr that same law." He also hopes that when a person pays a fine in his court, they have learned a lesson and are never back again. He said one person told him that paying a fine was a lot like paying tuition for college. He had learned something from the experience. ex-perience. The judge said the most difficult cases he has had so far have been DUI's where Spanish speaking people have been involved. He said he is grateful to an officer in the Pleasant Grove Police Department |