Increased security at courthouse

PERU, IN.(AP) - The Miami County courthouse is restricting access to employees after recent incidents in which a woman was caught rifling through desks in the prosecutor's office before hours and another person carried a gun into a courthouse office.

Officials barred entrance to the building until 7:45 a.m. after the video was discovered, and county commissioners are limiting the number of employees who can have keys to the building, the Kokomo Tribune reported.

The moves have angered some employees and prompted others to question why the attention is being paid to security at hours the building is open to the public but not during working hours.

Commissioner Jon Faust says the building lacks metal detectors and is always at a security risk.

"If somebody wants to blow this place up, they're going to be able to do it," he said.

Prosecutor Bruce Embrey said there's no way to know if someone might be carrying a gun or other weapon.

"Somebody's going to get killed, and there's going to be a big liability," he said. "It's inevitable. It's the times we live in."

Courthouse officials say the woman who entered the prosecutor's office when no staff members were present may have read confidential probable cause affidavits related to the victim advocate program.

Advocate Brenda Kercher said the affidavits were on her desk when the woman, who was one of her clients, showed up before 8 a.m. to talk to her. Kercher wasn't there but said she found papers had been moved around when she arrived.

"This has really upset people that someone could come in and sit at a desk and make themselves at home," she said. "There's no safety here," Kercher said. "We've been wanting security for some time, but there's no money."

Sheriff's Deputy Tim Hunter said the gun-carrying incident occurred two weeks ago when a man entered the courthouse with a gun by accident. He said the man had a permit to carry the weapon but had forgotten to remove it.

Paul Wilson, first deputy of voter registration, said department heads should keep their offices locked before 8 a.m. but said they should have authority over which employees are given keys to the building.

"The security issues of the building are one thing and the workers being in their offices is another," he said. "Officeholders should be responsible to keep their offices locked up, and the public should not be here roaming around."

Still, some county workers have objected to locking the facility until 7:45 a.m. The courthouse is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but some workers liked to arrive early to prepare for the day.

Commissioner Josh Francis said employees shouldn't be showing up to work early in the first place, since that would require overtime pay.

"If they're doing county work, they're on our clock," he said. "If our courthouse is open from 8 to 4, then we don't need people roaming around here at 7:30 in the morning."