Scott A. Wright v. State of Indiana

OPINION

MAY, Judge.

Scott A. Wright was found guilty of Class A felony child molesting 1 after the trial court, during jury deliberations, replaced the sole juror who would have voted to find Wright not guilty. Replacement of the juror was error 2 under the facts before us, and the jury was not properly instructed that removal did not reflect approval or disapproval of the juror’s views. We accordingly vacate Wright’s conviction and remand for a new trial. 3

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Wright’s jury trial commenced in August 2013. About two hours after the jury began to deliberate, the trial…