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NATCHEZ — Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten fully expects his deputies will be arresting Adams County citizens next week who fail to show up for jury duty on Sept. 17.

Out of 350-plus summons sent out recently by the Sixth District Circuit Court in Adams County, fewer than a quarter have followed the process of acknowledging those summons.

“So far, only 70 people have replied or called the line saying they received the summons,” Patten said. “The jury is going to meet this Tuesday. I want to let the public know now if they don’t show up for jury duty and were sent a summons, they will have a bench warrant sworn out against them and they will be arrested.”

Circuit Court Judges Carmen Drake and Debra Blackwell are taking the issue of citizens ignoring jury summons very seriously, he said.

In addition to the summons for Sept. 17, another 500 jury summons are being sent to residents for court proceedings taking place the first week of October.

“People are receiving ample notice by mail. And I’m warning people here in the newspaper. If you receive a summons for jury duty, we want to make it very clear, if you don’t show up, there is a great chance you will have a bench warrant sworn against you,” Patten said. “At the end of the day, we want and need our citizens to do their civic duty. We cannot try cases and administer justice for victims if people are not willing to serve on juries. If you have a legitimate reason why you cannot be on a jury, you can discuss it that day with the judge. Not showing up for jury duty in Adams County is no longer an option.”

Those who receive jury summons must call 601-304-7810 to report that they received their summons and get other needed information, Patten said.