City space to be used for court due to partial ceiling collapse

Some court cases out of Cape Girardeau County will be heard at another facility as repairs continue at the Jackson courthouse following a partial ceiling collapse.

Cases normally held Mondays in the Division V courtroom in the basement of the courthouse will be now heard at the Jackson Board of Aldermen chambers, 101 Court St., according to county Commissioner Jay Purcell.

The basement courtroom is currently the temporary offices of the associate circuit court clerks. Plaster above their regular office on the second floor fell through a drop ceiling and crashed down on their work space Aug. 8. No one was injured.

Workers have removed the rest of the plaster in the damaged area, installed insulation and hung drywall in its place, Purcell said. Additional workers will come in soon to replace the destroyed drop ceiling.

Crews also were expected to remove plaster in areas that did not collapse, including the chambers and courtroom of Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp.

Purcell did not know Tuesday night how long the process might take, but said last week it could be as much as four weeks.

Fatigue was the suspected cause of the collapse.