Juror hauled off to jail during trial of minister who led beatdown of a gay teen

[Judi Lynn]

6. Son of juror in mistrial: Dad made mistake with documents

Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press
Updated 4:47 pm, Wednesday, June 7, 2017


RUTHERFORDTON, N.C. (AP) — A juror who was arrested during the trial of a North Carolina minister charged with beating a gay congregant made a mistake by taking unauthorized documents to court and was not trying to influence the outcome of the trial, his son said Wednesday.

The jury was in its second day of deliberations Tuesday in the trial of Brooke Covington, 58, a longtime minister at Word of Faith Fellowship in Spindale, North Carolina, when juror Perry Shade Jr., 71, was charged with contempt.

A retrial has been scheduled for the two-week court term beginning July 17. The case was part of an ongoing, two-year investigation into abuse of Word of Faith Fellowship congregants by church leaders by The Associated Press.

Throughout the trial, Judge Gary Gavenus warned jurors not to do their own research.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/As-mistrial-is-declared-2-jailed-but-not-the-11201600.php