State v. Thomas

VandeWalle, Chief Justice.

[¶1] Ross Thomas appealed from a criminal judgment entered after a jury found him guilty of terrorizing, a class C felony. We conclude the district court erred in denying Thomas a hearing on alleged juror communications with non-jurors, which were discovered and brought to the court's attention while the jury was deliberating and were alleged to be related to matters on which the jury had deliberated and the jury's decisions. We reverse and remand for a new trial.

I

[¶2] In February 2017, the State charged Thomas with felonious restraint, terrorizing, and reckless…