Judge sentences juror to 3 days in jail for "friending" defendant on Facebook

By: Katie Wiggin
Topics: Daily Blotter

(Credit: facebook.com)

(CBS/AP) SARASOTA, Fla. - A Sarasota County juror was sentenced to three days in jail after "friending" the defendant on Facebook.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports Judge Nancy Donnellan sentenced Jacob Jock, 29, on Thursday, after finding him guilty of contempt of court.

Jock was selected as a juror for a trial in December. He testified that he looked up the defendant, a young woman, on the social networking site during jury selection. He claimed he was trying to see if the two had any mutual friends when he accidentally sent her a request. The defendant told her attorney, and Jock was dismissed from the jury, after he was already seated.

Donnellan seemed most angered by a later Facebook post by Jock after the fact, where he bragged about getting dismissed from jury duty. "Score...I got dismissed!! Apparently they frown upon sending a friend request to the defendant...haha."

"I cannot think of a more insidious threat to the erosion of democracy than citizens who do not care," the judge said after a two-hour hearing.

Jock was also faulted by Donnellan for showing up nine minutes late to his trial, and was handcuffed and ushered to a holding cell.

"I was just hoping she'd forget about it," Jock said. "It was a total mistake ... I kind of thought what happened wasn't that big a deal. Little did I know."

3 Comments +

Add a Comment


by ahendryx819 February 21, 2012 6:23 PM EST: What a dumb@$$!!!; Reply to this comment


by IEtOut February 17, 2012 6:37 PM EST: Yet, another reason not to use facebook. The reasons just keep piling up.; Reply to this comment


by caljack430 February 17, 2012 3:16 PM EST: idiot. just do what everyone else does to get out of jury duty... pretend to be(or actually be) a racist, biased and unnaturally well-informed person during selection. haha; Reply to this comment