How funny would that have been to have Michael Stipe on a jury!
R.E.M's Stipe Dismissed As Juror In School Attack Case
ATHENS, Ga. -- R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe was among more than a dozen potential jurors dismissed at the beginning of the trial for a man accused of sneaking into a middle school and trying to sexually assault a girl.
Stipe told Clarke County Superior Court Judge Lawton Stephens on Monday he could not be fair and impartial in the case because he has been the target of stalkers and death threats, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
Michael James Kirt faces a number of charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with intent to rape and attempted child molestation in the alleged March 1 incident.
Police said Kirt entered the school under the pretense of seeking a job application. He sneaked into a girls' restroom, where he lingered until a 12-year-old girl walked in, police said. He grabbed and pinned the girl to a wall at knifepoint, police said, but let her go when she screamed as Kirt tore off tape from a roll of duct tape.
Jury selection began Monday. Apart from Stipe, 15 other potential jurors were dismissed because they said they had already made up their minds about the suspect's guilt or innocence.
ATHENS, Ga. -- R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe was among more than a dozen potential jurors dismissed at the beginning of the trial for a man accused of sneaking into a middle school and trying to sexually assault a girl.
Stipe told Clarke County Superior Court Judge Lawton Stephens on Monday he could not be fair and impartial in the case because he has been the target of stalkers and death threats, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
Michael James Kirt faces a number of charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with intent to rape and attempted child molestation in the alleged March 1 incident.
Police said Kirt entered the school under the pretense of seeking a job application. He sneaked into a girls' restroom, where he lingered until a 12-year-old girl walked in, police said. He grabbed and pinned the girl to a wall at knifepoint, police said, but let her go when she screamed as Kirt tore off tape from a roll of duct tape.
Jury selection began Monday. Apart from Stipe, 15 other potential jurors were dismissed because they said they had already made up their minds about the suspect's guilt or innocence.