In a Pierre courtroom this week marks the beginning of the largest embezzlement case in the state’s recent memory. Jury selection began in the Lonna Carroll trial.
Over sixty potential jurors are being winnowed down in the wood panel-clad Hughes County Courthouse. On one side of the courtroom stands Attorney General Marty Jackley, and on the other Lake Andes defense attorney Timothy Whalen.
Jackley stands before a potential juror, asking him to try and separate his potential biases from the matters at hand – that Lonna Carroll is innocent until the state can prove her guilty.
Jackley said the best we can do is try to give her the fairest possible trial and asks – “Do you believe you’re a fair person?”
Whalen objects with a simple statement – trying simply isn’t enough. Jurors unable to make this distinction are at risk of sentencing an innocent person to prison. His question – “In your heart of hearts, can you make this distinction?”
The selection process proved vigorous, highlighting the challenge associated with trying such a high-profile case in a rural county that also houses the state capitol.
Many potential jurors had connections to witnesses, had preconceived notions about the guilt of the defendant, and many were employees of the state – some of whom had worked in the same building as Carroll.
For her part, Carroll remained stoic in the courtroom, trembling gently throughout the probing of community members who would ultimately rule on her case. Ultimately, she faces two counts of aggravated grand theft and is accused of stealing nearly $1.8 million in taxpayer funds.
After all was said and done, the twelve jurors and two alternates represent 8 men and 6 women from the community. The trial runs through this week.