Texas Man Jailed For Skipping Jury Duty


A Texas man has been jailed for repeatedly skipping jury duty.

Jose Bocanegra Jr. landed behind bars after making several excuses to not attend jury duty, and for not showing up at all when summoned.

Jury Bailiff Paula Morales said, “He tried to get disqualified by stating he was a felon — that was denied. He tried to get excused by claiming he was the caretaker of an invalid. We couldn’t substantiate that, so that was denied.”

Bocanegra did show up for jury duty once, but he left minutes after checking in. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

When asked why he hadn’t served, Bocanegra said the line was too long and he didn’t feel like waiting.

Bocanegra also later said Fort Worth was “way out of the way,” He lives in Mansfield, Texas, which is about a 30 minute drive from Fort Worth.

Morales said she tried several times to get Bocanegra to show up for jury duty. She called and emailed him but never heard back. She was forced to take the matter to a judge after several months of unsuccessful attempts.

The 20-year-old appeared before Judge Wayne Salvant in handcuffs one day after the bench warrant was issued. Salvant said Bocanegra wasn’t taking jury duty seriously, and sentenced him to five days in county jail.

Bocanegra issued a warning to anyone who might consider skipping jury duty the next time they are summoned: “I ended up dealing with the consequences. It’s not worth it.” He said he will show up if he is called again.

Have you ever skipped jury duty?

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