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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAccused of flirting, juror dismissed from Whitmer plot trial
Source: Associated Press
Accused of flirting, juror dismissed from Whitmer plot trial
October 15, 2022
JACKSON, Mich. (AP) A judge has dismissed a young woman from the jury hearing the trial of three men in connection with a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after attorneys accused her of flirting with one of the defendants.
Judge Thomas Wilson announced Friday that the woman has been removed from the jury, two days after attorneys raised concerns the juror was having too much non-verbal communication with defendant Paul Bellar, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reported.
It didnt just happen on one day it happened over multiple days, Wilson said of the jurors behavior. I decided its safer to err on the side of caution.
Wilson said he has never seen such behavior in nearly 35 years of practicing law. The juror took the decision well, he said.
Bellar, 24, was a member of a paramilitary group, the Wolverine Watchmen. He is standing trial with co-defendants Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico. The three are charged in state court in Jackson, Michigan, with providing material support for a terrorist act. The men have pleaded not guilty, claiming they were entrapped by an FBI informant and his handlers.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-jackson-kidnapping-adam-fox-4b57cba0719b36ba3e1b59b7c81fdfa6
Paul Bellar, middle, appears before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 for trial in Jackson, Mich. Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico are charged in connection with a 2020 anti-government plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (J. Scott Park/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP, Pool)
SunSeeker
(51,564 posts)William Seger
(10,778 posts)What a hunk!
SunSeeker
(51,564 posts)patricia92243
(12,597 posts)Aussie105
(5,401 posts)"Yeah you, I fancy you. Once I get you off this charge, you owe me, right?"
She had to go, really.
An excess of hormones has no place in a court room.
Emile
(22,784 posts)tavernier
(12,392 posts)hlthe2b
(102,285 posts)I'm glad they have a sane judge and prosecutors intensely aware of what was going on.
Vinca
(50,276 posts)Rhiannon12866
(205,467 posts)Irish_Dem
(47,119 posts)She wanted out of jury duty is a good explanation.
It was reported that she "took the news well" that she was being dismissed
which bolsters your theory.
Or perhaps she was mentally ill or on drugs.
Something off about her mental status.
catbyte
(34,398 posts)He gives off "Pointdexter" vibes from that old game, "Mystery Date."
GreenWave
(6,757 posts)Renew Deal
(81,861 posts)msfiddlestix
(7,282 posts)I don't know why it caught my attention. if it were a single individual, it wouldn't have seemed odd, but this image had me noticing and wondering if it's a PB or militia "standing at attention" thing.
Emile
(22,784 posts)msfiddlestix
(7,282 posts)SharonClark
(10,014 posts)Irish_Dem
(47,119 posts)To display innocence, vulnerability, compliance.
"We are not a threat to anyone, look how polite and respectful we are."
msfiddlestix
(7,282 posts)because nothing spells out decent citizenry being falsely accused of felony conspiracy etc than that picture.