Apr 25, 2019 2 min read

Miss Gold E. Locks, a local pre-schooler, was tried in the Washington County Courthouse recently for the crime of bad manners.

The plaintiffs, Pop A. Bear, Mom A. Bear and Babe E. Bear, accused the girl of breaking into their home, eating their porridge, breaking a chair, and taking a nap.

The hung jury could not decide her guilt or innocence, although jury foreman, Owen Clancy, 7, said members of the panel were learning toward a guilty verdict.

Judge John DiSalle thanked the junior jurors for their service and sent them back to their parents, because the scenario unfolded during Washington County government’s “Take Your Child to Work Day.”

The Three Bears v. Gold E. Locks, a fairytale mock trial scripted by the American Bar Association’s Division for Public Education, was staged for 50 children of Washington County Court and county employees.

Students from Trinity High School, some of whom participate on the school’s mock trial team for aspiring lawyers, role-played the shaggy-eared Bear and Locks families and served as attorneys for the plaintiffs and defendant.

Students and their roles were Alison Spadaro, Mom A. Bear; Matt Day, Pop A. Bear; Elliott Salvatori, Babe E. Bear; Julia Faust, Gold E. Locks; Emily Beitler, Mrs. Locks; Carson Nutter, plaintiffs’ counsel; and Austin Aber, defense counsel.

Video and members of the on-location crew were Brianna Dinch, Isabella Armstrong and Makenzie Marino. Chief Deputy Sheriff Tony Andronas and Deputy Sheriff Wes Hartman provided guidance to the jury during deliberations and were prepared to take Miss Locks into custody if necessary.

Attorney Gabrielle Conti, Judge DiSalle’s law clerk, served as bailiff. Assisting with the mock trial were Patrick Grimm, court administrator and vice president of the Washington County Bar Association; Sharon Francis, director of Domestic Relations Services; Kathy Sabol, executive director of the bar association; and Trinity High School teachers Mary Ann Berty and Lauren Boczar.

Other activities included tours of the courthouse and 911 emergency dispatch center; self-defense demonstration and discussion led by probation officers; and visits with Obie, the sheriff’s department K-9 and the Washington Wild Things’ minor league baseball team mascot.

Justin Welsh, director of building and grounds, was stumped when a child asked him, “How big is the courthouse?”

“Not big enough,” muttered one courthouse wag.