Juror disqualified for Facebook post

An Oconee County man was disqualified today from the pool of General Sessions jurors for a post he placed yesterday on Facebook. In the post, as explained by Judge Scott Sprouse, the young man announced he had been selected for this week’s jury and then, in an apparent message to defendants, he wrote, “I got you. Not guilty.” Was this a joke? Judge Sprouse inquired when he had the man stand front-and-center. A joke was exactly what was intended, said the juror. He apologized, saying family members knew he was going to be on the jury and he meant the remark in a comedic way. But the judge was not amused, explaining to the young man that a remark of that nature had the potential to prejudice other members of the jury. Sprouse could have sent the juror to jail, but the judge chalked off what happened as a youthful indiscretion. He ordered the young man to sit in the courtroom front row and watch the first trial of the week.