Forty men and women were summoned to Kosciusko County Circuit Court Friday to determine whether an impartial jury can be found for Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine.
Rovenstine was indicted on 10 felony counts including bribery and official misconduct in February.
Rovenstine was charged for allegedly agreeing to accept $40,000 to allow ?Kevin Bronson to meet with?Mark Soto, a former Grace College professor, unsupervised while Bronson was incarcerated in the county jail.
The test jurors were brought in to answer questions that could help make decisions related to case, special Judge Evan Roberts said
Roberts could bring in jurors from another county or allow Kosciusko County residents to be on the jury. Roberts said he would take the decision under advisement.
Attorneys for both sides asked jurors if they knew Rovenstine, how much they had heard about the case from the news, and if they had discussed the case with friends. All 40 were asked if they could be impartial in the case and focus only on the evidence presented at trial.
Most people in the pool had heard of the case, yet some said they heard very little or had forgotten about it since news of the indictment broke. Some people said they could not be impartial in the case.
Jennifer Lukemeyer, Rovenstine’s attorney, argued it was only 15 percent of the pool, which doesn’t justify bringing in jurors from another county.
Special Prosecutor Nelson Chipman argued that at the very least the judge should consider summoning more jurors to make sure that a fair trial can be had for both sides.
Chipman said it’s possible to get an impartial jury in Kosciusko County.
“It will take a lot of work, but anything is possible,” he said. “In the end we’ll be satisfied with whatever the judge decides.”
Attorneys for Rovenstine declined to comment on the hearing.
(Story By Michael Anderson, Times Union)
