Jury duty can be a drag. It’s our civic duty and privilege as Americans to serve on (and be judged by) a jury of our peers, but it’s time consuming and often tedious. Just don’t try and ease the boredom with a beer.
A 23-year-old man in Tyler, Texas, learned that the hard way after he showed up to the Smith County Courthouse for jury duty with a beer in hand. The beer was in a large Coca-cola cup, Tyler Paper reports, which made the courthouse staff more than a little suspicious. One call to the deputies later and the man had gotten out of jury duty and into jail.
The man didn’t even attempt to hide his intoxication. He left the courthouse “walking in an unstable manner” when he left the jury room building, Tyler Paper states. When the authorities confronted him he handed over the beer.
He was arrested and charged with public intoxication. Don’t try and ease the boredom of jury duty with a beer, folks, you might just end up on the other side of the courtroom.