Jury Service Summons

[Diane Amberg]

 I know what you mean Wilma, I have been in that position a number of times on the ambulance.  It is VERY hard to do the right thing in caring for a scum bag that has just caused the death of someone else. You just have to put on your EMT face and do what's needed, and hope that others will make it right in the end. You have to be so careful, because the defense lawyer will use anything to help his client.

[greatguns]

My God people, I would hope they could find 12 people in this county to do their civic duty and listen to all the facts in court before making a decision on the punishment.

[Wilma]

Sally, I hope they can find a jury, too and I am just glad I am out of the county.  There is no way I could hear that case impartially.  One of my fears while Janet was sheriff was that something like that would happen and it could have happened in Elk County as well as any where else.

[Diane Amberg]

 Hey, Marcia....that's why people should carefully proof read their copy. Everybody has ''slippery eyeballs'' once in awhile. We read what it's supposed to be rather than what is really is. Public has turned into "pubic" on more than one occasion!

[greatguns]

Wilma, sure makes one hope people have elected well qualified county and district attornrys doesn't it?

[Wilma]

To be truthful, I don't know who the county attorney in Greenwood County is.  I think our Attorney General Paul Morrison might take a hand in this one.

[Bonnie M.]

I served on a jury once since I've been out here, and I found that one of the hardest things to do, besides  being "impartial," was to obey the judge when he stated that we are NOT to discuss the case with ANYONE, once we're sitting on the jury, and once the trial has started.  That was difficult to do, because you want so much to just discuss it, to get other people's points of view.   So, Teresa, good luck, if you are selected to be on the jury.

[Janet Harrington]

Actually, it's Marcia that got the PUBIC summons.  I laughed and laughed at that.  Can't wait to tell our Clerk of the District Court about that.  ha ha

Anyway, the Greenwood County Attorney is Ross McElwain.  The Kansas Attorney General's office does have this trial.  Most counties, except the big ones, call in the attorney general's office to take care of capital murder cases.  This case is a capital murder case and is going to be a tough one to be on.  I could not be impartial, but our judicial system and our country is based on innocent until proven guilty.  We have to remember that.  We also must give mucho credit to the officers that did arrest Scott Cheevers and managed to maintain their professionalism and do what it takes to get the alledged criminal to justice.  That is why we have courts.  That is why we don't lynch alledged criminals anymore.  We have a court system that is supposed to work and in this case, I believe that it will.  Remember, even though Sheriff Samuels wasn't given a chance in this case; the alledged murderer will be tried for capital murder and if everything goes the way it should, he will receive the death penalty.  Currently, the state has about 10 inmates on death row.  One of those inmates is waiting a new trial and the other one is waiting a new sentence.  I don't remember why their cases are coming back to the courts.  If Cheevers gets convicted for capital murder, he will be number 11 sitting on the so-called death row that Kansas has. 

Now, let's talk about that.  Death row means being in a cell house with the other death row inmates and any other special management inmates there are.  The death row inmates cannot be housed next to each other.  They have to have at least three cells between them.  Right now there are 5 on one side and 5 on the other side.  That makes it easy to keep them apart.  The death row inmates are the quietest inmates there are.  They are polite.  They don't complain.  They do their time.  They work on their cases.  They are not hard to manage.  You just have to be cautious with them, but you have to be cautious with all of the special management inmates.  I'm not being a cheerleader for the death row inmates by any means.  I can just tell you how I was treated by these inmates and I would rather deal with them then some of these guys that get into trouble time after time after time and still are a problem in prison.  Death row inmates are housed at El Dorado and if the state ever carries out a death sentence, that inmate will go to Lansing before that time.  But it will be a short time.  The reasoning behind this is that staff gets attached to inmates and by carrying out the death sentence in Lansing, the staff won't know these people, so it will be easier on the staff.  Go figure.  I suppose they alledgely know what they are doing.  Okay, enough.

[Marcia Moore]

   Prospective jurors are to meet at Eureka Downs in the main concourse building at 211 N. Jefferson because the courthouse is not large enough to handle all the prospective jurors and the community building was felt to be an inappropriate place since it is now known as the "Matt Samuels Community Building."

[Bonnie M.]

"So, Teresa, good luck, if you are selected to be on the jury."


Whoops, Sorry Teresa!  Good luck MARCIA!