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Local jury banned by judge after ruling man innocent
By Catherine Trevison
Of the Tribune staff
La Crosse County Circuit Judge Peter Pappas has barred 12
jurors from ever serving on a jury again because they found a man
innocent.
And the move has drawn the ire of a defense lawyer, who says
his client can't get a fair trial.
Pappas would not comment Wednesday on the accusation made by
John Wabaunsee, a lawyer who works for the state public
defender's office in La Crosse.
Wabaunsee has asked Judge Michael Mulroy to reinstate the
eligibility of jurors who served at a disorderly conduct trial
Nov. 29, and to draw a new jury pool.
The circuit courts select jurors from a pool of 200 people
at any one time.
Wabaunsee said his client, a man accused of child sexual
assault, can't get a fair trial because the exclusion "has
contaminated the entire array of people chosen," Wabaunsee said.
Their names are now in a file with those of people who are
permanently excused for things such as mental infirmity,
commission of a felony, or the inability to read and write
English.
Mulroy denied Wabaunsee's request because he said Wabaunsee
should have brought the issue before Pappas.
Members of the all-female jury contacted Wednesday said they
hadn't known why they were excused. They said they did remember
that the judge seemed angry with them after the verdict.
"The look the judge gave us was incredible," said juror
Kimberly S. DeCora. "If looks could kill we all would have been
dead."
DeCora said the defendant was acquitted because the
prosecution's witnesses contradicted each other when testifying.
"They didn't have their stories straight," she said.
Juror Betty L. Woodford said she felt the jury made the
right decision.
"It wasn't a decision made to get away (from the
courthouse)," she said. "We felt he was innocent of what he had
been accused of."
Woodford said she had been looking forward to jury duty in
the future, and felt she and the other jurors were treated
unjustly.
"We were on trial and we didn't even get a chance to plead
innocent," she said.