LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. — Court services in Loudon County reopened in a temporary location on Monday, April 29 after a fire devastated the counties’ historic courthouse on the evening of April 23.
The Loudon County Clerk and Master and Loudon County Circuit Court Clerk will be relocated, and many basic court procedures including motions and hearings will be heard, at the old Loudon City Hall, located at 201 Alma Place, Loudon, starting April 29.
Jury trials will be held in the new Loudon City Municipal Building, located at 2480 Highway 72 North.
RELATED: Historic Loudon County courthouse deemed a 'significant if not total loss' after devastating fire
Child support hearings will be held at the Loudon County Justice Center, located at 12680 Highway 11 in Lenoir City, on Fridays until further notice.
In addition, criminal court the week of April 29 – May 3 will also be held in the Loudon County Justice Center. Starting May 6, the criminal court will also be held at the old Loudon City Hall building.
Circuit Court Clerk Steve Harrelson said the county is building a makeshift courtroom out of an old meeting room to get court back up and running next Monday. Harrelson said the city of Loudon was already moving out of their old building into a new one, so they were able to expedite the process and the county was able to move in for the time being.
“The loss of our courthouse is devastating for this community,” said Judge Michael S. Pemberton, who serves the 9th judicial district as a circuit court judge. “But, it is amazing how the courts, law enforcement, county, and city officials have come together over the past 12 hours to make a plan to keep the courtroom doors open. This is going to be a long road, but I am confident we can continue to serve the people of Loudon County.”
Both the Loudon County Circuit Court Clerk and Loudon County Clerk & Master offices, which are charged with maintaining court records, were located in the historic courthouse.
Firefighters made a valiant effort to remove the court’s computer servers, which had been backed up. An initial review by the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts shows the servers do not appear to have suffered fire, smoke or water damage.
Records that were maintained electronically, including the circuit court case management system, were saved. However, other records, including paper items submitted as evidence in court or paper records filed in chancery court, may have been damaged by fire, smoke, or water. The process to salvage as many paper records as possible is ongoing.
The Loudon County Circuit Court Clerk will continue to receive mail at: P.O. Box 280, Loudon, TN 37774 and the Loudon County Clerk & Master will continue to receive mail at P.O. Box 509, Loudon, TN 37774
General sessions, juvenile and probate courts are held in a different facility, which was not affected by the fire, in Loudon County.
The old courthouse housed civil circuit court, criminal court, and chancery court for the county before being severely damaged in the fire.