The process of finding at least 36 people who are qualified to hear the criminal case against Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is moving at a quicker-than-expected pace as 21 potential jurors have been identified so far.
Almost 350 jury summons were sent and 150 of them began reporting Monday. It was expected to be hard to find citizens who were not too familiar with Hill’s controversial past or the 28 criminal charges pending against him. That has not been the case.
“Twenty-one. We’re on our way,” Judge Albert Collier said as he called a morning break from jury selection.
Special Assistant District Attorney Layla Zon said in court it was possible a jury of 12 plus two alternates could be seated late today.
Hill is charged with racketeering, theft by taking, influencing a witness and violating his oath of office for allegedly using the county-issued cars and credit cards for personal trips during his first term as sheriff between 2005-2008. The theft charges also accuse him of having one employee counted as on paid administrative leave or out of work because she was sick so she would get her salary for the days she was traveling with her boss to resorts and a mountain getaway. Other theft charges concern Hill allegedly requiring another employee to work on his biography during regular work hours.
Last year, voters returned Hill to the office he lost in the 2008 election, despite the criminal case pending against him.
Hill has said he is not guilty of all the charges and the criminal case was instigated by his predecessor, former Sheriff Kem Kimbrough, only after Hill announced he was running for office.
Questioning of prospective jurors on Monday suggest some of Hill’s defense. Prospective jurors were asked about their own illnesses or physical problems that kept them from work but still allowed them to do other things. They also were asked about their experiences with fibroid tumors, either their own or their friends and relatives.
Many jurors said they had heard news accounts of Hill’s controversial decisions during his first term and the criminal allegations brought last year, but their memories of the details were vague.
All said they could be fair and impartial despite anything they already knew of Hill.
So far, jurors have been disqualified because they did not speak English or because they said their personal beliefs prevented them from passing judgment on another person.
None have been discounted for showing any bias against or favoritism for the popular sheriff.
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