Bringing the Courtroom to the Classroom in Norton
Chuck Slemp
Regulatory Investigations Counsel and Former Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia
We held the second of two special programs with Wise County Public Schools and Norton City Public Schools today designed to teach high school seniors about the criminal justice system and encourage them to make wise decisions, called “Courts to Classrooms.”
We had a special setting of the Wise County Circuit Court Court at J.I. Burton High School library before an audience of high school seniors. Participants in the trials included Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Slemp and Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Stephen Davis, defense attorneys Jeff Elkins, Greg Stewart, and Ethan Stewart, Wise County Circuit Court Clerk Jack Kennedy, Wise County Sheriff Ronnie Oakes, Norton City Sheriff Carlos Noaks, officers from the Wise County Sheriff's Office, and officers from the Norton City Police Department. Following the trial, students had an opportunity to ask questions and engage in a dialogue about the cases.
Thank you to everyone involved in this program and our school systems for the opportunity to share with their students. It is important for our young people to see firsthand how the criminal justice system works.