RUMFORD — Starting July 1, all felony crimes committed in central and northern Oxford County will be heard in 11th District Court in Rumford instead of Oxford County Superior Court in Paris.
Rumford Clerk of Courts Darlene Richards said Friday that Lewiston, South Paris and Rumford courts will switch to a Unified Criminal Docket. Franklin County went to a Unified Criminal Docket in 2013. It means that criminal cases for Superior and District Court will be heard in one court.
Currently, the Oxford County Superior Court in Paris hears all felony cases and any misdemeanors transferred for jury trials, while the District Court handles the remaining misdemeanors. With the unified system, arraignments and dispositional conferences will be held in Rumford.
“It’s really going to be great for law enforcement,” she said.
Initially, following an arrest or summons, there will be a disposition conference to determine if the case can be resolved, Richards said. If it can’t be settled, a jury would be selected and there would be a day to hear motions.
If a case can’t be resolved in 11th District Court, it would be heard in a South Paris court, but felonies won’t be transferred between courts like they are now, she said.
“It’s going to be a great system,” said Richards, who helped implement the system in Farmington.
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