"It's very frustrating": Courts, offices on lower level of 201 Poplar remain closed Tuesday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Courts will remain closed on Tuesday, FOX13 confirmed.

This comes as repairs continue in Divisions 7-15 as well as city court areas.

FOX13 visited 201 Poplar Monday, where the lower level was empty. 

"I came down here for court costs; I came down here for a speeding ticket," Andrew McCollum told FOX13. He said he drove 25 minutes to get to the building but was turned away due to the closures.

"It's very frustrating. I mean, they could have sent me something in the mail, or they could have sent a memo," he said.

One attorney said she spent Sunday night and a portion of Monday morning reaching out to clients to notify them of the last-minute closures.

"We have clients traveling from sometimes Nashville, sometimes kind of you, and you don't want people who have taken off work or have to drive 30 minutes to be inconvenienced by coming to a courthouse that is closed," defense attorney Carlissa Shaw told FOX13.

Prosecutors are also impacted, working to relocate essential hearings and figure out reset dates.

"What has happened more recently is just the lower level has become inhospitable," Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told FOX13.

He said they're working to give priority to defendants who are in custody in the jail.

"I think the most problematic situation is if the person is in custody, but there has been an agreement to resolve the case at time served, and then there's a delay in releasing them from jail because of some of these problems," said Mulroy.

FOX13 reached out to Shelby County government for information on the repairs and temporary closure.

A spokesperson said, "Work continues on repairs in the lower level of 201 Poplar after a water main break last month. Today’s work to restore impacted areas is being done in courtrooms and offices of General Sessions Court Divisions 7, 8, 10, and 11 and City of Memphis courts. We have requested the temporary closure of those courts during this work."