State v. Pierce

GREENE, Judge.

Gene Edward Pierce (Defendant) appeals from the trial court’s order holding him in criminal contempt of court.

Defendant served as a juror on the criminal case of Freddie Carroll for driving while impaired (DWI) on 2 February 1998. Throughout the trial, and specifically at the conclusion of the trial, the presiding judge, Judge Preston Cornelius (Judge Cornelius), instructed the jury “not to discuss the case with anyone outside the courtroom and . . . not to do any research or investigation on their own.”

The jury retired to deliberate on the afternoon of Wednesday, 4 February…