As many of you may already know, I had to testify in court on Monday. I was a witness in this case because I was the cashier on record for a fraudulent return the defendant had made.
I’ll cut the story short with all of the drama it caused. In summary, the date for the trial was finally scheduled for the day before we left, and the US Attorney General got permission to begin the trial one day early so I could testify. Praise God! An answer to prayer!
Thankfully, Leon was allowed to come with me to help me keep my head on my shoulders the whole day. We arrived at the US Court House in Covington, Kentucky about the time they were completing jury selection. I spoke with the Secret Service officer and the paralegal to get an idea of what was going on and a general time table. After filling out paperwork to get reimbursed for our travel, I was asked to return at 1:00 pm when the trial was set to begin.
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| source: Wikimedia Commons |
Once we returned, I met with the prosecuting attorneys (there were 2; the Attorney General is 8 months pregnant) to clarify certain details I had given them the week prior and to review the evidence I’d be asked about. They then told me after what witness I’d be testifying. They needed their chief witness, a manager from Staple Loss Prevention, to testify first. I was informed he would take awhile. And boy did he take awhile! I sat in the incredibly warm and boring witness room for nearly 3 hours! The long wait and not knowing really what was going on (I wasn’t informed that the court had taken a recess) caused me to get really anxious by the time the bailiff came to escort me in to the court room.
I was sworn in and asked to take a seat at the witness stand. The prosecuting attorney asked me questions and had me explain the evidence pertaining to the event I was involved in. The defence attorney asked me questions I’m not sure had anything to do with the case at hand… I guess it’s his job. After the defence was done cross examining, I was dismissed by the judge.
Phew! I was finally released and no longer bound by the law to appear in court!
All that drama for just 15 minutes of glory. I’m glad the guy was convicted after day two of the trial (if you are interested, the story with a bit more detail can be found here).
