Allendale County court prepares for jury trials week of April 20

A new court notice puts Allendale County’s criminal calendar back in motion, with General Sessions preparing for potential jury trials during the week of April 20 and the possibility that cases could move forward before a local jury panel is ever seated.

The 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office posted the notice on April 13 and said the list of matters is subject to change. That means defendants, victims’ families, witnesses, attorneys and anyone summoned for jury duty should treat it as a working schedule, not a final roster. The April 20 term is set to be presided over by the Honorable Carmen T. Mullen.

Even without naming individual cases, a jury-trial week is a clear sign that criminal matters are active in Allendale County and that prosecutors and defense lawyers are preparing cases for the courtroom. For residents watching a case tied to a local family, a traffic stop, an arrest or a violent offense, the notice signals that the county’s justice system is moving into a more formal phase, where accountability can start to take shape in open court.

The April 20 setting also fits the county’s regular court cycle. South Carolina law says Allendale County General Sessions is held in Allendale on the third Monday in April for one week, the second Monday in July for one week and the third Monday in October for one week. The statewide judicial calendar also shows April 20, 2026, as a circuit-court week. In other words, this is a scheduled court term, not an unexpected addition to the docket.

The notice also reflects how work is shared across the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, which covers Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties. That regional structure matters in smaller counties because one court week can affect courthouse traffic, jury summonses, witness schedules and how quickly criminal cases move through the system. Similar docket notices have already been posted for Beaufort County and for an earlier Allendale County jury week in February.

At the local level, the clerk of court remains central to how that process runs. Elaine Sabb serves as Allendale County clerk of court, and the South Carolina Judicial Branch says the clerk’s office handles criminal warrants, transmits them to the solicitor, compiles trial lists, manages juries and staffs the courtroom while court is in session. The courthouse functions from 292 Barnwell Highway in Allendale, the county seat.

That local impact lands in a county that the U.S. Census Bureau estimates at 7,355 residents as of July 1, 2025, down from 8,039 in the 2020 census. With 3,238 households and a median household income of $32,328, even a routine jury week can carry outsized weight in Allendale County. Jurors who receive notices can respond through the South Carolina Judicial Branch’s Juror Portal, which also allows waiver requests and text or email updates.