Chief Magistrate Larry Ables told the County Commission on Wednesday he is recommending that the magistrates halt services to the municipalities until certain problems are ironed out.

He said there have been problems getting municipal representatives to show up for meetings to work out issues.

Magistrate Ables also said there has been an attempt to get municipal officers to call ahead when they are coming in to see a magistrate to make sure they are not on "a lunch break."
He said in one recent case, an officer from a municipality came down and there was no magistrate because he was on the lunch break. He said the officer "got his feelings hurt."

The chief magistrate also said there are issues with the municipalities strictly following the law. He said the county earlier stopped using pre-set bond formulas, but some of the municipalities still do.

He noted that one attorney, Jerry Gonzalez, has been going around the state filing suit on such bail issues.

Magistrate Ables also said he recently had a supervisor from a municipality "call our office and try to pressure a new judicial commissioner (magistrate) into illegally signing an arrest warrant."

He said the county earlier did not provide the municipalities with magistrate services, but began to do so "as a courtesy when one of the municipal judges became ill."

County Commission Chairman Fred Skillern said the matter will be assisgned to the commission's security and corrections committee.

He said the municipalities would be notified before any magistrate service is cut off.

Commissioner Joe Graham said he wanted to know how long of a lunch break the magistrates take and when they are on duty.

He said he went on a recent jail tour for several hours and he said there was no magistrate present the entire time.

Commissioner Graham said the magistrates and other county officials should strive to provide top service to the municipalities and others.