Courts in Rhea County Welcome New Justice Center - Articles

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Posted by: Kate Prince on Mar 16, 2021

Work is complete on the state-of-the-art Rhea County Justice Center, which will serve as the new home of the county’s Circuit, Chancery and General Sessions courts. Located three miles north of the historic Rhea County Courthouse that it’s replacing, the 94,000-square-foot Justice Center boasts a number of technological and security-related upgrades that will make court run more safely and more smoothly for judges, staff and court users. The building will also house the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department and a new county jail, which can house 342 inmates. Other parts of the building will be rented out by a variety of different agencies, providing room for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, public defenders, probation, and parole offices. The historic Rhea County Courthouse was made famous as the site of the Scopes Trial and houses a museum dedicated to the trial. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the new Justice Center.