LAKEPORT — The jury trial for a Fulton man charged with 11 felonies began Tuesday morning with the first day of jury selection.
Thomas Loyd Dudney, 59, faces felony counts, which include attempted murder, first-degree battery and torture, for his alleged role in an Oct. 20, 2009 incident in which Lakeport resident Ronald Greiner was shot, tortured and hogtied.
Judge Arthur H. Mann presided. Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe represented the Lake County District Attorney”s Office and attorney Doug Rhoades represented Dudney.
More than 160 Lake County residents answered summons to be potential jurors for the trial, with 109 making up the morning jury panel and around 60 making up the afternoon panel.
Mann excused a majority of the residents in both sessions because they said if they were selected, the predicted two-month trial would cause them extreme hardship. Accepted excuses included physical hardship and inability to pay one”s bills if off from work.
Around 60 potential jurors made no plea for hardship excusal and filled out a jury questionnaire. These individuals were asked to return to Department 2 on Tuesday, at which time the attorneys will continue the jury selection process.
Another round of jury panels will report to the Lake County Courthouse today for a similar process.
A brief altercation outside an adjacent courtroom caused a distraction during Tuesday morning”s jury panel session. Sounds of fighting could be heard coming from the hallway and two bailiffs from Department 2 responded to the situation.
The altercation occurred between members of the Elem Indian Colony following a civil proceeding in Courtroom A, according to Officer Norm Taylor of the Lakeport Police Department. LPD made no arrests connected with the “simple assault,” Taylor said.
Prior to the jury panels entering the courtroom Tuesday morning, the attorneys discussed several issues with Mann. A hearing will be held on some of the issues, including that of Dudney”s prior conviction record, on Friday morning.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
