Jim Thorpe Borough Council recently approved bagging three meters in front of Molly Maguires Pub and Steakhouse during the day on Wednesday as Carbon County conducts a test run for the possibility of transitioning to a central court system for its preliminary court hearings.

Current practice has those accused of a criminal offense visiting one of four magisterial district judge offices around the county, depending on where the incident occurred.Defendants can then waive their right to a preliminary hearing or go forward with the hearing, in which case the prosecution must meet a basic burden of proof to move the case forward to the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas.Under a central court system, all hearings for the week would be handled on one day in the Carbon County courthouse.With a large number of defendants coming to the courthouse one day per week for preliminary hearings, parking around the facility is one of the logistical issues county officials are trying to solve."We have a trial run this Wednesday starting at 8:45 a.m.," Carbon County Court administrator Greg Armstrong confirmed Monday. "The cases from Jim Thorpe and Lansford will be heard as we scale up each trial run."Jim Thorpe Mayor Michael Sofranko said Carbon County mayors and police departments have long favored a central court system."This is a system used all across the state in different counties, and we're happy to work with the county while they figure out the logistics of how to make this work," he said.Local police are in charge of transporting incarcerated defendants to the preliminary hearings.According to Sofranko, police will likely be the ones using the bagged parking meter spots for that purpose.Other logistics include ensuring the proper security measures are in place.Security would be an advantage at the courthouse, officials said, compared with magisterial offices where other officers typically watch defendants while their colleagues are meeting with attorneys or the judge."We have a very busy court system right now," Sofranko said."This would really bring everyone together and get the wheels of justice moving faster."According to Armstrong, there is no timeline set for determining whether to make central court permanent.