Skip Jury Duty... Story explained by San Mateo DUI Lawyer
Kicked off Jury Duty
I am a trial attorney and have had the wonder of interacting with a jury many times now. During jury selection (voir dire), the goal is to get rid of any jurors that are not going to help my client. During that process, many other prospective jurors attempt to get kicked off the jury as well. People do all kinds of strange things to get kicked off a jury panel.
In Denver, a woman was kicked off a jury. However, she is now facing perjury charges because she was kicked off the jury. This woman, Susan Cole, was dismissed from jury service when she showed up for jury selection with hair curlers on, wearing mismatched shoes, reindeer socks, and looked completely disheveled. She wore offbeat clothes and pretended to be mentally ill in order to get kicked off jury duty.
This is where she went wrong: Ms. Cole called a local talk show and admitted that she did this intentionally. Ms. Cole called into KOA's Dave Logan show stating that she was emotionally upset that morning and had "too much on my platter" to serve on a jury. The judge during jury selection was listening to this local talk show and remembered Ms. Cole.
The judge looked up a transcript of jury selection and determined that Ms. Cole was dismissed after telling the court that she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that she "get very confused in the morning when I try to get ready." The court reporter described Ms. Cole as "her makeup looked like something you would wear during a theater performance," Kelli Wessels, the court reporter during jury selection said in a statement to investigators concerning this matter. "When the judge asked the entire panel if anyone had a mental illness, (Cole) stated she had difficulties getting ready in the morning, which was apparent to me by the way she was dressed."
Unfortunately for Ms. Cole, she did not get away with pretending to be mentally ill to get out of jury selection. The judge who presided over jury selection remembered the entire incident and turned Ms. Cole in.
In a recorded interview with news station KUSA-TV, Ms. Cole admits she "deliberately dressed in a disheveled and uncoordinated fashion" to get out of jury duty. "I am embarrassed I did it," she admits. "I didn't mean to harm the judge. I really felt bad she interpreted this." Now Ms. Cole is going to be facing the judge as a defendant, not as a law abiding prospective juror.
San Mateo DUI/ DWI and expungement Attorney Bob Mortland is a solo practitioner attorney in the Peninsula. Mr. Mortland is a San Mateo DUI, San Mateo Traffic ticket, San Mateo Expungement, Redwood City DUI, Redwood City Traffic Ticket, Redwood City Expungement, San Carlos DUI, San Carlos Expungement, San Carlos Traffic Ticket, Menlo Park DUI, Menlo Park Traffic Ticket, Menlo Park Expungement, Peninsula DUI, Peninsula Expungement, Peninsula Traffic Ticket, Foster City DUI, Foster City Traffic Ticket, Foster City Expungement, Criminal defense Lawyer, Criminal Attorney. [http://www.sanmateoduilegal.com/] Palo Alto DUI lawyer [http://www.sanmateoduilegal.com]
I am a trial attorney and have had the wonder of interacting with a jury many times now. During jury selection (voir dire), the goal is to get rid of any jurors that are not going to help my client. During that process, many other prospective jurors attempt to get kicked off the jury as well. People do all kinds of strange things to get kicked off a jury panel.
In Denver, a woman was kicked off a jury. However, she is now facing perjury charges because she was kicked off the jury. This woman, Susan Cole, was dismissed from jury service when she showed up for jury selection with hair curlers on, wearing mismatched shoes, reindeer socks, and looked completely disheveled. She wore offbeat clothes and pretended to be mentally ill in order to get kicked off jury duty.
This is where she went wrong: Ms. Cole called a local talk show and admitted that she did this intentionally. Ms. Cole called into KOA's Dave Logan show stating that she was emotionally upset that morning and had "too much on my platter" to serve on a jury. The judge during jury selection was listening to this local talk show and remembered Ms. Cole.
The judge looked up a transcript of jury selection and determined that Ms. Cole was dismissed after telling the court that she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that she "get very confused in the morning when I try to get ready." The court reporter described Ms. Cole as "her makeup looked like something you would wear during a theater performance," Kelli Wessels, the court reporter during jury selection said in a statement to investigators concerning this matter. "When the judge asked the entire panel if anyone had a mental illness, (Cole) stated she had difficulties getting ready in the morning, which was apparent to me by the way she was dressed."
Unfortunately for Ms. Cole, she did not get away with pretending to be mentally ill to get out of jury selection. The judge who presided over jury selection remembered the entire incident and turned Ms. Cole in.
In a recorded interview with news station KUSA-TV, Ms. Cole admits she "deliberately dressed in a disheveled and uncoordinated fashion" to get out of jury duty. "I am embarrassed I did it," she admits. "I didn't mean to harm the judge. I really felt bad she interpreted this." Now Ms. Cole is going to be facing the judge as a defendant, not as a law abiding prospective juror.
San Mateo DUI/ DWI and expungement Attorney Bob Mortland is a solo practitioner attorney in the Peninsula. Mr. Mortland is a San Mateo DUI, San Mateo Traffic ticket, San Mateo Expungement, Redwood City DUI, Redwood City Traffic Ticket, Redwood City Expungement, San Carlos DUI, San Carlos Expungement, San Carlos Traffic Ticket, Menlo Park DUI, Menlo Park Traffic Ticket, Menlo Park Expungement, Peninsula DUI, Peninsula Expungement, Peninsula Traffic Ticket, Foster City DUI, Foster City Traffic Ticket, Foster City Expungement, Criminal defense Lawyer, Criminal Attorney. [http://www.sanmateoduilegal.com/] Palo Alto DUI lawyer [http://www.sanmateoduilegal.com]
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