Colo. woman pleads guilty to lying to avoid jury duty
(CBS) DENVER - The next time Susan Cole calls a talk radio station she might want to be a little less forthcoming - that is, if there is a next time.
The Denver woman who bragged over the airwaves about how she avoided being picked for a jury pleaded guilty Tuesday to trying to influence a public servant and second-degree perjury, CBS Denver reported.
"The charges alleged that on June 28, 2011, Cole knowingly made false statements under oath during jury selection in a Denver district courtroom and that her deceit was an attempt to influence the court so that she would be excused from jury duty," Lynn Kimbrough, with the Denver District Attorney's office, said in a statement.
Authorities were alerted after Cole called in to a KOA-AM show last October and told her story. The following is exactly what she said on the air:
"I decided not to put my makeup on and I put black eyebrows on. I put bright red lipstick on. I left my hair in my curlers and I put on a t-shirt that said 'Ask Me About My Best-Seller,' When they asked me about mental issues I got up and said, 'Yeah, I have some mental issues.' Then the judge said, 'Does anyone care if she leaves?' And everybody else said all at once in a great big voice, 'No.' "At the time Cole said that she thought the situation was very humorous.
According to the DA's office, the judge from the case was listening to the radio just then and didn't think it was so funny.
He filed a complaint, which led to the felony perjury charges.
With the guilty plea, Cole was given a two-year deferred judgment on the felony count, and two years of probation on the misdemeanor count, to be served concurrently. She also must perform 40 hours of community service.
She avoided jail time.
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