After listening to the evidence and rendering a verdict, jurors often come away from a trial with a newfound appreciation for the judicial system. But after a trial in Park County’s District Court last month, they also came away unimpressed with the county’s toilets.

Park County Clerk of District Court Patra Lindenthal said three of the dozen jurors complained about the short toilets that are available in the bathrooms alongside the jury room.

“They called them ‘kiddy potties,’” Lindenthal reported to county commissioners last week, explaining that the toilets’ low height is a problem for bigger people.

The clerk added that things aren’t much better in a third bathroom that serves visiting judges and their staff: After using that low toilet, one judge remarked that “he thought he was in a preschool,” Lindenthal said.

She asked commissioners if it was OK to ask the county’s buildings and grounds department to replace the toilets, which apparently were installed when the courthouse was expanded several decades ago.

“I’m sure there’s room in your budget [for] new commodes,” joked Commission Chairman Jake Fulkerson.

When commissioners later were told that the county might be receiving more property taxes than expected this year, Commissioner Joe Tilden quipped that, “We need the extra money so we can put in some new toilets.”

In seriousness, commissioners told Lindenthal it would be fine to ask buildings and grounds to install some adult-sized potties.

— By CJ Baker