Ceiling Collapses in Vista Courtroom, Leading to Partial Courthouse Evacuation

VISTA - A portion of the Vista courthouse was evacuated today due to a ceiling collapse in one of the courtrooms.

The 6 a.m. non-injury collapse led to an evacuation of the north building of the North County Regional Center, where criminal, juvenile and family law matters are handled. The south building and the courthouse annex, where civil, small claims and traffic matters are typically handled, remained open.

Court spokeswoman Julie Myres said an engineer will assess the damage. It was unclear when the north building was expected to reopen.

For the time being, filings for the Criminal Business Office will be accepted in the lobby of the south building, according to court officials. Juvenile filings will be accepted in the civil business office in the south building. Family law mediation services will continue as scheduled, while those needing the family law facilitator should report to the triage table in the south building lobby.

Jurors should report for duty by phone as scheduled. The children's waiting room located in the impacted section of the building will be closed until further notice, according to the San Diego Superior Court.

In a statement, Presiding Judge Lorna Alksne said, ``I appreciate everyone's patience as we wait for more information on when we can resume operations in that section of the courthouse. We are working to relocate court appearances and I apologize for any inconvenience.''

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