Man trying to get out of jury duty winds up in jail

It probably sounded like an excellent idea while driving to the courthouse, but a man in Honolulu learned that shouting "He is guilty! He is guilty!" at a suspect is not the way to get out of jury duty.

Jacob Maldonado was having a bad day last Tuesday and didn't want to have sit on the jury for a misdemeanor assault case, according to his attorney, Jason Burks. So, he started making a ruckus, shouting about the suspect's guilt in front of 44 other potential jurors. Instead of letting him out of jury duty, Judge Edward Kubo ordered Maldonado's arrest on a contempt charge, and set his bail for $10,000 cash. He spent the night in jail.

Appearing before Kubo on Wednesday, Maldonado apologized, and Burks told the judge that his client has been dealing with his father's recent cancer diagnosis and his wife's medical issues. Kubo, who had to declare a mistrial because of Maldonado's outburst, told him that his disturbance was "so uncalled for," explaining that the "fairness of a trial is mandated and expected." The judge released Maldonado, and he was not charged or fined.

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