April 16, 2009

[Niveous]

DRC Back with a Vengeance.

QotD: Have you ever had to do Jury Duty? If you did, was the case interesting?

[Spud]

Twice.

The second time was the more interesting, in retrospect.

We were hearing the case of the driver of a getaway car in a simple robbery. The guy had parked in front of an expensive clothing store, and his buddy had gotten out of the car, gone into the store, and come back out carrying a number of suits, and jumped into the car with store clerks chasing and banging on the car. Quite the scene. The driver claimed that he didn't know that his buddy hadn't paid for the suits.

Years later, I met Mad Dog. One day we were talking about weird things we had seen in our lives, and he was telling about this time he had been riding his bike downtown, and then guy had run out of a clothing store (the same one) with suits in his hand, chased by store clerks who banged on the car as it sped away.

How weird is that? Mad dog was a witness to a crime that I was on the jury for, years before I even met him.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Wow, that's fate, Spud.
...either that, or you live in a very small town.

[Niveous]

I have only been on Jury Duty once but it was significant. It was a murder trial. A man had come out of his apartment at the wrong time and essentially bumped into some drug dealers and was killed. The trial was insane as there was a ton of witness as all of the killer's crew appeared to rat him out (and lower their own sentences). There was a ton of crazy nicknames and drug schemes that we learned about. My favorite was how they would hide their drugs in the grocery store. They would hollow out beer cans and put their drugs inside and then place it with the warm beers.

In the end, the shooter was convicted and then after the case, we learned the victim was a cop (a piece of info they had never shared with us for fear it would've influenced us).

[Spud]

er... isn't a beer can hollow already? That's where they usually put the beer, right? This made me laugh out loud, Niv.

[roymond]

I was jury for an attempted murder case in Brooklyn. A DJ was shot by a partier who was upset over something he said at some point. It was very interesting, took a little over two weeks. Guilty as charged. All the other times I was called I was dismissed without a case, but it's definitely an interesting process and I'd welcome the opportunity to serve again.

[HeuristicsInc]

How weird is that? Mad dog was a witness to a crime that I was on the jury for, years before I even met him.

So he wasn't called as a witness during the case?

I have gotten called twice...? Three times? Once was in grad school - I was still registered to vote in NY state but living in Virginia. They called me during exams. I begged off. Then I moved from VA to Maryland, and unregistered in NY... except they didn't remove me from the polls (guess I could have voted twice). So I got called again and then had to beg off a second time, telling them that I wasn't even a resident any more. Yeah, I did get picked for juty ... haha juty... once in MD, and I had a work trip scheduled. The woman I talked to said "you will certainly get called if you defer to another date, but with this number you have you probably won't get called this time" and she was right.
-bill

[JonPorobil]

DRC: My wife got her motorcycle license today, and within mere hours, she was test-driving a new scooter.

...and wrecking it.



QotD: Never been called for jury duty.

[Henrietta]

QotD: Yes, twice.

The first case was this: It was a dark and rainy night. A husband and wife were driving down a dirt road in two separate cars, the wife in the lead car. Coming up over a blind hill, a car of teenagers flew up out of nowheres and hit the wife head-on. The husband flipped out and gave the (already injured) teenage driver a pretty severe beatdown, broke his jaw, etc. The husband, naturally, denied this.

The second case was: Gal's boyfriend shows up at her house drunk in the middle of the night. Gal says "Go home", boyfriend says "No I won't". Trouble ensues.

[fluffy]

qotd: No. I have somehow managed to avoid being summoned for jury duty until now, and on account of a tight work schedule I was asked to do a postponement. So I have a pending summons for sometime in May.

I actually look forward to it. I'd like to think that if I were on trial that I'd get a jury full of people who honestly wanted the justice system to work.

[Eric Y.]

I spent about the first 22 years of my life in Allegheny county (that's where they keep Pittsburgh) which is a pretty big place, and I never had jury duty. Then I moved to nearby Washington county and literally within three months I got the postcard in the mail. Spent the whole day hanging out at the courthouse but they never actually called on me (occasionally it pays to have a "Y" last name). They said to call each day for the next week and see if I needed to report, and they never needed me.

Short answer to QOTD -- "Yes, once, and no it wasn't."

[Billy's Little Trip]

DRC: My wife got her motorcycle license today, and within mere hours, she was test-driving a new scooter.

...and wrecking it.

....I'm sorry, it's just the way you said it. I hope she's ok.
....I dare you to say, see, this is why we can't have nice things!

[JonPorobil]

It literally is why we can't have nice things. The scooter purchase money now must go to the repairs on the model she was test-riding.

Allyson, thankfully, is okay. A bit sore about the tailbone and knee areas, but okay. Witnesses, which were reportedly many, described the sight of her taking a spill on the road and immediately getting back up as "hardcore."

[Caravan Ray]

I spent about the first 22 years of my life in Allegheny county (that's where they keep Pittsburgh) which is a pretty big place, and I never had jury duty. Then I moved to nearby Washington county and literally within three months I got the postcard in the mail.

Yes - after living most of my life in Sydney or Brisbane - never called - then a few months after moving to Mt Isa, I get called in. Everyone gets a go there. I was not selected, and sent home the first day. I was disappointed. The whole thing was fascinating. They were drawing jurors names out of a hat, and the lawyers for each side got a chance to turn people down. I was trying to work out a pattern - but I could see nothing. Those dudes were seeing something in initial appearances - but I couldn't pick their systems. They seemed to be saying yes or no randomly.

I'm surprised I have not been called in New Zealand yet. I am sure Kiwis would find it hilarious. Kiwis think that the fact that Australia was a penal colony is the funniest thing in the world. I'm sure everyone in a court from the judge down would love the opportunity to drop a few "are you an Aussie? Shouldn't you be in the dock?" type jokes (as part of my job I am supposed to represent my company at the Environment Court. But I will miss my first appearance in that role, because our next upcoming case will be when I am on holidays in the USA. Hooray! They will have to save their Aussie criminal jokes for next time!)

[Paco Del Stinko]

I got called, but not selected, for a murder trial in 1985. It involved a man killing his gay lover and severing off his (uh, the dead guy's) penis. Zoinks! Funny, my ladyfriend got called for jury duty this month, in New Hampshire. She has to report every Monday and see if they need her. First Monday, no. Second, a one day trial for some money scam business. But every week? Come on!

[JonPorobil]

er... isn't a beer can hollow already? That's where they usually put the beer, right? This made me laugh out loud, Niv.

Hollowing out the beer can is my favorite part!

[Teplin]

Mine usually get cancelled. I've only had to go once, and I wasn't selected. It was the case of biker who showed his penis to a group of teenaged girls. Small time compared to a lot of the cases you guys had.

[Spud]

Small

He might not be so happy to hear that.

[Caravan Ray]

..and it was all a beat up. They asked to see it, for crying out loud!!!!

[jast]

QotD: we don't really have that here, so no.

[roymond]

DRC: My wife got her motorcycle license today, and within mere hours, she was test-driving a new scooter.

...and wrecking it.

Ouch. Be careful (to her via you). I drove a motorcycle for a few years and stopped after the realization that there's no such thing as a fender bender. I had two close calls with cars and there's little someone can do on a cycle at that point. You can be as careful as you want, but you can't make other people drive carefully.

[HeuristicsInc]

Also, this day (the 16th, not today) was our 4th wedding anniversary. Yeah marriage!
-bill