Juror dismissed in Bell, Calif, corruption case

Juror dismissed in Bell, Calif, corruption case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge has dismissed a juror from deliberations in the public corruption trial of six former officials of the suburban city of Bell.

The woman juror was dismissed today for misconduct after she admitted she looked up information online and had her daughter search out a definition of what would constitute jury coercion.

The judge has scheduled an afternoon hearing to select an alternate so that deliberations can begin anew.

The panel had been in its fifth day of deliberations.

The defendants are charged with misappropriation of public funds for giving themselves huge salaries.

During the trial the prosecution said the defendants convinced themselves they were entitled to nearly six-figure salaries for part-time positions governing the tiny blue-collar city where the median income is $35,000.