🚀 go-pugleaf

A manager of Thibodaux's Wal-mart called the Lafourche
                     Parish court house wanting to know why a deputy was
                     harassing their customers. =


                     Judge Bruce Simpson's court bailiff Dee Oldham
wasn't
                     harassing would-be shoppers, she was just trying to
round up
                     more potential jurors for the Lee Coleman's second
degree
                     murder trial. =


                     At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oldham went out to
Wal-Mart
                     shopping for people who could serve on the 13
member jury
                     panel =96 12 jurors with one alternate. =


                     Assistant District Attorney Camille Morvant II and
Defense
                     Attorney John LeBlanc had questioned four sets of
14-member
                     panels. But by lunch time Wednesday, they had only
selected
                     eight jurors, and during their last panel, it
looked as if they
                     might go into a third day of jury selection without
anymore
                     potential candidates. =


                     During criminal trials prosecuting and defense
attorney's
                     select a jury from a field of 100 impaneled
candidates. The
                     candidates are asked to respond to questions
honestly so that
                     the lawyers could select a fair and impartial jury. =


                     Jurors are asked if they have relationships with
the Morvant,
                     LeBlanc their respective law firms, the District
Attorney's or
                     Sheriff's office or if they or a family member has
been arrested. =


                     They were also asked if they agree with the second
degree
                     murder law and its defense of self defense. They
were also
                     asked, if based on evidence that proved Coleman's
guilt
                     beyond a reasonable doubt, could they convict
Coleman of
                     second-degree murder, thereby sentencing him to
life in
                     prison. =


                     By law in Louisiana, a judge is required to deliver
life
                     imprisonment for a second degree murder conviction. =


                     There were some jurors who didn't want to sit on a
jury to
                     determine Coleman's fate. =


                     Morvant and LeBlanc needed five more jurors. As the
fourth
                     panel was whittled down, several people were pulled
off the
                     street in front of the courthouse at lunch time =


                     Oldham rounded up 23 unsuspecting shoppers. =


                     She stood outside the front entrance of Wal-Mart
and asked
                     them if they were 18 years old, did they live in
the Lafourche
                     Parish for the past year or serve on a jury. Did
they have any
                     health complications? =


                     If not she told them they were eligible for jury
service and
                     would be in contempt of court and subject to arrest
if they
                     didn't enter the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's van and
go with her
                     to the courthouse. =


                     They were taken to the court house annex and waited
in
                     another courtroom. =


                     After their questions, Morvant and LeBlanc selected
five
                     women from the fourth set of candidates. =


                     Judge Bruce Simpson asked bailiffs to bring the
shoppers into
                     his court room where he explained the circumstances
and let
                     them go. =


                     Oldham said it wasn't the first time she had to do
it. She did it
                     once before during the aggravated rape trial
against Tony
                     Clarke.