Tuesday, October 31, 2006
WARREN -- Jury selection began Monday in the trial of Irving Russ, the Warren man charged with failure to stop and two lesser charges after an accident in the 2004 that left Annie Lee of Howland a quadriplegic.
Attorneys for the prosecution and defense said jury selection was going slowly on the first day because so many potential jurors had absorbed press accounts of the case.
So far about 11 potential jurors had been selected to stay in the jury pool, and about 11 others had been dismissed. About 24 jurors will be needed to provide a sufficient pool for a final round of jurors, said Ken Bailey, assistant Trumbull County prosecutor.
Defense attorney Jeff Goodman said Russ wants his case to be heard in Trumbull County. But if not enough jurors can be found here, he will file a motion asking for the case to be moved to another county.
Annie died earlier this month at age 13 while being treated in Cleveland for a brain infection.