Downtown criminal courts building opens for limited business after sewer line rupture

Some court hearings resumed at the downtown criminal courts building Tuesday, even though jurors were excused from reporting until Wednesday as crews continued repairs on a broken sewer line.

The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center was closed Monday morning after the ruptured line flooded basement rooms and affected the water supply at the Temple Street building.

But after crews made progress in repairing the broken pipe, courts officials opened the courthouse for  employees of the court, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office and the public defender's office.

Court hearings that did not involve defendants in custody were held and jurors were instructed to return to assigned courtrooms Wednesday.

On Monday, 51 defendants were arraigned in Department 30 and Department 80 before the courthouse was closed, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Forty-four of those cases involved defendants in custody. She noted no defendants were let go because of the building closure. Sheriff's Department officials said the rest, more than two dozen, were arraigned in the central arraignment court in the same building as the Men's Central Jail.

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Downtown criminal courts building to be closed until at least Tuesday because of broken water pipe

-- Andrew Blankstein