Original Blog Entry: Bored juror gets an arrest warrant

truesee — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:42:15 GMT

'Extremely bored' juror gets an arrest warrant

May 19, 2009

Duty - Grant Faber, 25, faces a charge of contempt of court for leaving after lunch

HILLSBORO --Midway through a slow day of jury duty, Grant Faber of Hillsboro just couldn't take it anymore. So, after lunch, the 25-year-old man left. Not surprisingly, that didn't sit well with Washington County Circuit Judge Gayle Nachtigal, who issued a warrant for his arrest. On May 7, police found Faber near his home and asked why he skipped out on jury duty. Faber told the officers he left because he was extremely bored, according to a police report. Following the judge's orders, the officers arrested Faber on a charge of contempt of court.

Nachtigal wouldn't talk about her runaway juror but said jury duty is a critical part of a fair trial. Juries must comprise a balanced cross section of the U.S. population in order to be fair and impartial. It think it is one of the most important civil responsibilities that citizens . . . have, Nachtigal said. Courts try to work with people to minimize the inconvenience of jury duty, Nachtigal said, and can try to reschedule the date a person can serve.

Teachers, for example, usually serve jury duty during the summer so as not to disrupt their classes. Potential jurors will serve for one day or one trial, Nachtigal said. If they aren't picked for a jury the first day, they are dismissed. If they are selected for a jury, trials usually last less than two days. Nachtigal said the maximum penalty for missing jury duty is six months in jail. Usually, however, penalties are waived if the person will agree to show up for jury duty. Faber is scheduled to be arraigned this morning.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/12426999069320.xml coll=7

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