ROCKFORD, Ill. — Federal authorities in Rockford say a man who reportedly faked an accident to avoid jury duty in U.S. District Court won’t have to sit on a panel.
Instead, 60-year-old Gerald Lee Mance of Morrison will serve 30 days of home confinement and 90 days of probation. He also must pay a $5,000 fine.
Mance was found in contempt of federal court Thursday for failure to appear for jury duty.
Authorities say Mance appeared for jury duty on Nov. 30, but failed to show up the next day.
Under questioning during a contempt hearing, Mance admitted that he had stolen a blank traffic accident report form and falsely filled it out to indicate that he had been in a traffic accident with a deer and could not show up in Rockford for jury duty.
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