Opinion ID: 2081607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Jury View of Incarcerated Defendant

Text: Prior to the reconvening of the court after a recess, as the jury stood in a hallway, the defendant was removed from the lockup within six feet of where the jury stood and in their full view. The lockup had a barred door and the defendant was escorted from the room by a Marion County Sheriff, although the record does not reveal whether or not the sheriff was in uniform. The court denied a motion for mistrial stating that the viewing was not prejudicial. The court's offer to admonish the jury was refused, the defense believing it best not to call attention to the incident. Such an inadvertent incident is not so prejudicial as to require a mistrial. United States v. Leach (8th Cir.1970) 429 F.2d 956; United States v. Acosta-Garcia (9th Cir.1971) 448 F.2d 395.