Opinion ID: 1995182
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Bailiff

Text: ¶ 8 During direct examination of the clerk on the first day of trial, the prosecuting attorney asked the clerk why he did not call the police immediately after the incident. The clerk stated that he simply kept working because he needed the money and that the blows he received affected his perceptions. He explained that he decided to call the police after it was recommended that he do so. Both the State and the defense were under the impression that the clerk called the police after speaking with his manager. When the prosecuting attorney asked if it was his manager who made the recommendation, the clerk responded by pointing to the bailiff. Wolfgram was serving as a bailiff at the trial. The court interceded, attempting to clarify the situation: The Court: Just for the record, are you pointing to the bailiff, Mr. Wolfgram? A: Yes, I am. ¶ 9 At the conclusion of the clerk's direct examination, the court took a recess. It had another person act as bailiff and instructed Wolfgram not to have any contact with the jurors in the case. ¶ 10 After the break, the court examined Wolfgram's role in the case. It established that Wolfgram had not discussed the matter with the jurors. Wolfgram stated that he did not realize until the morning of the trial that the case for which he was serving as bailiff concerned the incident at the convenience store. He stated that he had not said anything because his contact with the case had been so limited and seemingly irrelevant. ¶ 11 Ford moved for a mistrial, arguing that Wolfgram could be an important defense witness if the clerk did not mention anything about an attempted armed robbery. Additionally, he argued that the jury could have been improperly influenced because the jurors would likely want to know what the bailiff might have to say about the case. ¶ 12 The circuit court denied the motion. It stated that there was no indication that Wolfgram had any improper contact with the jury or had said anything to the jury regarding the incident. Further, the court determined that there was not even an appearance of impropriety because Wolfgram was not a witness for the State and only a potential witness for the defense. ¶ 13 The court explained that it did not consider him a critical witness or even a material witness, [rather] we have somebody who is potentially the hundredth person that [the clerk] talked to that day after the alleged events. Thus, based on Wisconsin case law, [2] the court concluded that it had no basis for declaring a mistrial because it did not have a basis for concluding that the parties can't receive a fair trial in this case. ¶ 14 Nonetheless, the court replaced Wolfgram with a different bailiff. As a precaution in case Ford wished to call Wolfgram as a witness, the court excluded Wolfgram from the trial and instructed him not to discuss the case with witnesses. In addition, it questioned the jury as to whether any members knew Wolfgram and whether they could be fair and impartial. One juror stated that Wolfgram was a cousin of one of her relatives by marriage, but that she could decide the case fairly and impartially. No other jurors responded when asked if they knew Wolfgram, and no jurors indicated that their contact with Wolfgram as bailiff would keep them from acting fairly and impartially in the case. ¶ 15 Cross-examination of the clerk continued with a new bailiff. Although Ford subpoenaed Wolfgram to appear as a witness, he released Wolfgram from the subpoena the following day. He did not call Wolfgram as a witness at any point in the trial.