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Denver woman who bragged about lying her way out of jury duty may be having second thoughts

Susan Cole CBS Denver

(CBS) DENVER - Denver woman Susan Cole is getting her 15 minutes of fame after bragging on the radio about how she dodged jury duty.

She is also now charged with a crime.

Cole, 57, was charged after calling a Denver radio talk show last October and revealing how she pretended to be mentally unstable to avoid her civic obligation.

Fox News reports Cole is charged with first degree-perjury and attempt to influence a public servant after she called Denver's "Dave Logan Show" on October 17, 2011 and described how she dressed and acted oddly several months earlier in the hope she would appear to have mental problems.

"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,' " Cole said on KOA radio.

"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,'" she said.

During the jury selection, Cole allegedly told prosecutors she had post-traumatic stress disorder from being in the military, was the victim of domestic violence and had been homeless.

CBS Denver reports Lynn Kimbrough with the Denver District Attorney's Office said in a statement, "The charges allege 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."

District Judge Anne Mansfield had dismissed her right away. 

"For about two weeks after when my roommate and I would think about it, or I would tell my clients about it, we would cry we would laugh so hard," Cole allegedly told the show.

Then months later, according to the Denver Post,  Judge Mansfield was listening to callers - including Cole - describe avoiding jury duty on the "Dave Logan Show" and heard a familiar tale.

Cole was charged Thursday, March 22.  She is expected surrender to police late this week.



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