05/17/18 — Judge Turner remains in hospital

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Judge Turner remains in hospital

By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on May 17, 2018 11:06 AM

After falling a week ago in a stairwell at the Wayne County Courthouse, Chief District Court Judge Les Turner remains in the hospital.

Turner was found unresponsive on May 10.

A sheriff's deputy working in the courthouse heard the judge fall and found him unresponsive.

Turner was taken by medical personnel to Wayne UNC Health Care where he was then flown to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill.

No further details regarding his condition have been available.

Retired Judge David Brantley said that in situations like this, emergency judges are called in to fill in and court cases continue being heard.

"I want the Turner family to know that we praying for them," Brantley said.

Justin Furr, with the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts Communication Office, said that some of Turner's cases have been assigned to other district judges and some have been assigned to emergency judges.