Grand jury selection held locally
State prosecutors and a visiting judge chose potential Washington County residents to seat a multicounty grand jury in a secretive process held this week at the county courthouse.
Washington County Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said about 120 potential jurors came to the courthouse Monday for a closed proceeding.
Court records show state Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Saylor Jan. 14 granted an application from First Deputy Attorney General Bruce Beemer to convene a multicounty investigating grand jury composed of members from Washington and six other Western Pennsylvania counties.
The purpose for convening the grand jury is unclear.
“We can’t comment on grand juries in any way, shape or form,” said Chuck Ardo, spokesman for Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
Saylor’s order names Cambria County President Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III as supervising judge for the grand jury and Allegheny County as its location.
Duquesne University law professor Wes Oliver said a statewide grand jury of the type outlined in Saylor’s order is uncommon. One can be convened in cases that involve multiple jurisdictions. They’ve also been used in cases where local authorities face an inherent conflict of interest in an investigation.
“Or it could be that the investigation requires a great deal of resources,” Oliver added.
The investigating grand jury will have statewide jurisdiction. Along with Washington and Allegheny counties, jurors are to come from Westmoreland, Beaver, Crawford, Fayette and Erie, according to court records. In all, 200 potential jurors will be selected – enough for a 50-person panel and 150 other prospective members whom Krumenacker can summon as necessary.
Grimm said his office and local officials aren’t involved in the grand jury proceedings, beyond summoning potential jurors and providing logistical support for Monday’s session.
Krumenacker and representatives from the attorney general’s office reviewed candidates in a closed courtroom, Grimm said.
“To my knowledge, they completed yesterday what they needed to do here,” he said Tuesday.
Krumenacker couldn’t be reached for comment.