The courts will be open for emergency personnel.
SPRINGFIELD - Hampden County court officials canceled jury duty for first-day jurors Thursday after a tornado blasted through downtown Springfield.
Hampden County Hall of Justice Judge David Sacks said he witnessed the tornado just as he was leaving work
Sacks said had been preparing to drive a clerk to their car in the South End when he realized he had forgotten something and returned to his office on the fourth-floor shortly after 4:30.
“My timing couldn’t have been better - or worse,” Sacks said. “I saw the water spouts coming across the Memorial Bridge from my lobby.”
At that point, the judge returned to the basement garage for safety.
Chief court officer Kenneth O’Connor and several members of his team pressed themselves into service outside the courthouse to help public safety officials clearing tree limbs and other damage and with traffic control for several hours, according to Sacks.
The Hall of Justice complex will be open, but emergency personnel only should report for work. Please call me at home tonight if you have any questions.