Man who didn’t show up for jury service gets jail sentence
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A 21-year-old Florida man ended up in jail rather than on a jury when he didn’t show up for jury service.
Deandre Somerville says he was truthful when Judge John Kastrenakes asked why he didn’t show up for an August trial a day after he was selected as a juror, WPTV reports. “I said, ‘Sir, honestly I overslept, and I didn’t understand the seriousness of this.’ ”
Kastrenakes, a judge in West Palm Beach, sentenced Somerville to 10 days in jail. Somerville served his sentence and remains on probation for a year, according to the WPTV report. He also has to complete 150 hours of community service and write a letter of apology.
Kastrenakes’ order says Somerville did not provide a good explanation for his absence, which delayed the trial for about 45 minutes.
Somerville says he had no previous arrest record and his life will never be the same again. He also says the sentence was hard on his grandfather, who depends on Somerville to take him to therapy.
“It hurts, but it’s a lesson learned,” Somerville told WPTV. “It could have been worse. He could have given me 365 days in jail.”
