District judges from across Kentucky participated in the 2009 District Judges DUI & Traffic Safety College hosted April 1-3 at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park in Jamestown by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Attending locally were Judge James R. Redd III and Judge Jill Clark. Serving the 56th judicial district of Caldwell, Livingston, Lyon and Trigg counties, Clark is the Division 2 judge and Redd is elected from Division 1.
District Court handles juvenile matters, city and county ordinances, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, probates of will, felony preliminary hearings, small claims and civil cases involving $4,000 or less.
District judges serve four-year terms.
The judges attended sessions on field sobriety testing, traffic stops and search and seizure arrests, drug-related DUI crimes and the latest issues surrounding driving under the influence, and issues involved with DUI arrest, arraignment, pretrial suspension and sentencing.
“With District Court judges overseeing many cases involving individuals driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, it is beneficial for them to learn more about what happens in the field with these crimes and to stay current on the issues involved once the cases are in their courtrooms,” said Chief Regional District Judge Karen A. Thomas, who serves Campbell County and is president of the Kentucky District Judges Association.
“The DUI and Traffic Safety College provided the judges with the opportunity to gain insight on those issues from experts.”
Presenters included Kentucky district judges; Bob Stokes, Kentucky’s traffic safety resource prosecutor; Dr. Greg Jones of Eastern State Hospital; Sgt. Michael Evans and D.W. Eversole of the Kentucky State Police; retired Judge Karl Grube of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Steve Hanson, director of the Bureau of State Operated Addiction Treatment Centers for the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
