TROY, MO. (AP) -- A now-rejected policy of allowing people to buy their way out of jury duty already has affected one case in east-central Missouri and might affect 10 more.
Late last month an appeals court overturned a man's drug conviction because his jury may have been tainted by a
now-discontinued court policy in Lincoln County. From March 2006 to December 2008, the policy allowed potential jurors to avoid the courtroom by paying $50 and performing community service.
The Hannibal Courier-Post reported that a child molestation case is among those that could be affected.
Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney G. John Richards told the newspaper Friday that even one case being affected is "too many."
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported on the problems earlier this month.
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