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Inpho
File photo of a courtroom
A Florida juror has been sentenced to 10 days in jail after he overslept and missed a trial.
Deandre Somerville, of West Palm Beach, was impanelled for a civil case in August, but he failed to notify the court when he didn’t show up.
Judge John Kastrenakes held the 21-year-old in criminal contempt, sentencing him to 150 hours’ community service and a $223 (£180) fine.
Somerville is appealing against the sentence, arguing it was “excessive”.
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Palm Beach County Police
Deandre Somerville has served his jail time
He was released from custody on Sunday. He appeared in court for a hearing on Friday.
“Now I have a record,” he told local media. “I almost feel like a criminal now. Now, I have to explain this in every interview.”
Somerville was to be one of six jurors, and it was his first time serving on a jury.
He told local media he slept though his alarm and woke up hours later, realising he had missed the trial.
Somerville did not call the court to let them know, he said, because he felt nervous.
He said he also had to leave for his afternoon job at afterschool programmes for the city’s parks and recreation department.
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15thcircuit.com
Judge John Kastrenakes rebuked Somerville in court
He said he expected a fine, at worst.
Police arrived at Somerville’s home, where he lives with his grandparents and helps care for his grandfather, to issue a court summons.
He went to the hearing, later telling WPTV: “I said, ‘Sir, honestly I overslept and I didn’t understand the seriousness of this.”https://www.bbc.co.uk/”
Somerville also told the court he had never been arrested or sent to jail.
But Judge Kastrenakes was not swayed.
“We waited almost an hour for you to come to court. You didn’t come,” the judge told him.
Somerville has also been ordered to write a “sincere” letter of apology of at least 100 words.