Bibb County District Attorney Opens Child Witness Room

MACON, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) – The office of the District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit opened the Vernon R. Beinke Child Witness Room with a ribbon cutting on Thursday.

According to a news release sent from the District Attorney’s Office, the room will “provide child witnesses with their very own space before court proceedings.”

The child witness room was paid for primarily from donations from the office itself. 

David Cooke, the District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit, told 41 NBC that he and other people in the office chipped in money, and some people even went to stores in Atlanta to make the room come together.

“This is something that our office believes in,” Cooke said. “We want this room to convey that children are not only welcomed, but valued and treasured.”

The room is filled with games, crayons, books, stuffed animals and puzzles to enjoy. The goal of the room is to ease the fears of child witnesses and allow them to feel supported. 

Attorneys will have the opportunity to speak with children in a friendly environment as well.