Former Kosciusko County Superior Court 2 Judge James Jarrette holds a picture of former county Superior Court 3 Judge Joe Sutton at Tuesday, Jan. 19’s Kosciusko County Commissioners’ meeting in the Kosciusko County Justice Building. Commissioners granted his request to hang the picture in the building. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Former Kosciusko County Superior Court 3 Judge Joe’s Sutton’s picture is to join those of other former judges in the Justice Building.

Joe Sutton

At their Tuesday,  Jan. 19, meeting at the justice center, Kosciusko County Commissioners heard a request from former county Superior Court 2 Judge James Jarrette to install the photo. The county has pictures of other former judges, including Jarrette, upstairs in the center.

Sutton was first elected in 1996 and took office in January 1997. He was reelected on Nov. 4, 2014.

Commissioners granted the request. Commissioner Brad Jackson suggested that late county Superior Court 1 Judge David Cates’ photo also be put up.

In other business, commissioners:

• Heard from Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver a report on the county’s free COVID-19 testing site at the fairgrounds. Since the site opened at the Bowen Center this fall, 12,687 tests have been performed. All were paid for out of $200,000 in CARES Act money the county received.

Weaver also said the county is to get $80,640 in additional CARES Act funds to pay for COVID-19 vaccinations.

• Heard from Sheriff Kyle Dukes that there were no current cases of COVID-19 among sheriff’s office employees, jail staff, work release and inmates.

He said there are currently 249 inmates in the county jail. Dukes said the sheriff’s office did shut down the county’s Jail Chemical Addiction Program for now, but that has enabled the jail to have a cell block empty to quarantine inmates in if needed.

He reported the sheriff’s office’s training room is finished and the office spent $28,595.67 on needed new uniforms and equipment last year.

Rubber flooring has also been installed in the sheriff’s office’s gym to allow for easier cleaning, he said. Also the sheriff’s office has purchased neighborhood watch signs.

• Heard from Auditor Michelle Puckett that she is working on reviewing the county’s ordinances to see if any of them are unconstitutional. That’s related to the county commissioners approving a Constitutional Rights Sanctuary County resolution and ordinance at their meeting on Dec. 22.

• Heard from Area Plan Commission Assistant Planner and Floodplain Administrator Matt Sandy that several of the forms for the county’s new online permitting process are now available on the county website. Those are for sign permits, contractor registrations and property research.

The commissioners’ next meeting is 9 a.m. Feb. 2 at the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom.