Cascade Locks Justice Court serves Hood River County

Judge John Harvey is the Justice of the Peace elected in 2016 and reelected to a six-year term in 2022.

Many minor violations received in Hood River County, such as traffic, boating, and wildlife, are likely processed through Hood River County’s Justice Court in Cascade Locks. These include citations issued by Oregon State Police, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, the O.D.O.T. Weigh Master, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The mission of the Justice Court is to be available to the public and provide an informal yet professional atmosphere for those attending court. For many, this experience represents their first and only courtroom experience. The Justice Court also handles numerous violations in writing or electronically.

About 3,000 cases are processed through the Justice Court each year, and Judge Harvey says they are predominantly weigh station violations.

Hood River County’s Justice Court was established in 1939 and is the only county-operated Court in Hood River County. John Harvey is the Justice of the Peace elected in 2016 and reelected to a six-year term in 2022. Justice courts are State courts funded by the county where they reside, and they abide by the County Administrative Code. Justice Courts are required to send the State a certain percentage of the fines but are not funded in any way by the State.

According to Judge Harvey, about 90% of violations come from the two nearby weigh stations, operated by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Weigh stations are checkpoints to ensure commercial trucks are not overweight and comply with state and federal laws. Permit, overweight vehicles, and commercial truck offenses such as chain tickets, cover most weigh station violations.

If tickets are written east of Hood River, they are likely cited in the State-operated Circuit Court located in Hood River. Hood River Police violations are adjudicated in Hood River’s Municipal Court. Generally, however, other tickets issued in Hood River County are cited in the Justice Court. Such issuance may create less convenience for violators and the issuing officer, however, there are numerous reasons to resolve these matters at the County Justice Court. Fines paid to the Justice Court are shared between Hood River County and the State of Oregon, while fines paid to the Circuit Court go entirely to the State. The State receives a larger percentage of Weigh Station and other State-issued offenses. Also, the Circuit Court hears criminal, civil, domestic relations, and juvenile offenses, as well as traffic, boating, and wildlife violations, so attending Justice Court can be a more relaxed and low-key affair.

Cascade Locks Justice Court is staffed with a full-time Justice of the Peace and a full-time Court Clerk, Megan Janik. “Megan is the best court clerk anyone could ask for,” Harvey claims. “She runs the place and I get the credit for it.”

Janik was born and raised in Cascade Locks and is well-loved by the community, according to Harvey. “I feel very fortunate to have this job and be able to work where I was born and raised.” Janik says. She notes the City of Cascade Locks’ population has seen significant growth, increasing from 1,000 to about 1,500 residents during her life so far, and was only 574 people in 1970.

Judge Harvey was previously the Cascade Locks deputy for the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office. The City of Cascade Locks contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for dedicated patrol time there, rather than having a municipal police department. During his time, Harvey was the sole deputy covering 26 hours per week. His roots in Cascade Locks go deeper, however. He learned to ride his bike on Wheeler Street and lived in the city for part of his childhood. His maternal grandmother is buried in the nearby cemetery.

The Justice Court’s office hours are from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, with staff is available by phone from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Arraignments occur every Tuesday morning, and trials happen once per month. Many trials are conducted through written declarations and judgments since some defendants live outside the area.