BALTIMORE (AP) -- Jurors in the theft trial of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon were dismissed for the weekend after sending a note to the judge saying deliberations were getting heated.
Jurors deliberated until about 3:45 p.m. Friday before sending the note saying "things are getting a little overheated" and asking to be dismissed. The jury received the case about midday Thursday.
Prosecutors say Dixon used gift cards intended for the needy on personal shopping sprees. The defense says the mayor's then-boyfriend anonymously gave Dixon gift cards for her own use, and she thought gift cards from another developer came from her boyfriend. She's also accused of taking cards from a holiday charity event run by the city.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Update
Jurors spent the day deliberating Mayor Dixon's theft case but they were just sent home for the weekend.
Friday Deliberations
Judge Dennis Sweeney brought the Jury back in at nine o'clock Friday morning to answer some of their questions, then sent them back to the jury room to continue deliberations.
Deliberations stalled Thursday night when the foreperson of the jury sent a note to the judge that read, "We need to close for the day. Things are getting a little out of order among us."
The note does not concern prosecutors or defense attorneys.
"They are 12 people pulled off the street, don't know each other. They're just trying to get along, figure out some of the legal issues and apply the facts to them," said Dixon's Attorney Dale Kelberman.
Today, jurors continued to seek clarification on the legal definition of misappropriation and asked for a legal dictionary. Judge Sweeney denied both requests instructing the jury to rely on the 25 pages of jury instructions handed to them Thursday morning.
There has also been some confusion on the part of the jurors about 'intent' of the alleged crime. Attorneys say it is all a normal part of the process. "I think it is going pretty much the way of any deliberation goes. The questions pretty much have been the kinds of questions that you see in most cases. The requests have been pretty much the requests you see in most cases. I don't think you can say much more than they are hard at work," said Dixon Attorney Arnold Weiner.
A sentiment echoed by State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh, "It's hard to read the tea leaves, maybe one juror has a question, your speculation is as good as mine at this point."
The jury continued deliberating just after nine Friday morning. The 12 men and women are contemplating five charges against the mayor including one felony theft count, one misdemeanor theft charge, two counts of fraudulent misappropriation and finally a charge of misconduct in office.
In the jury instructions, they can only convict the mayor of three out of the five counts since some counts are connected or mutually exclusive.
State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh said today it is normal for a jury to ask as many questions as this one has.
Mayor Sheila Dixon walked into court Friday morning but has been working out of city hall returning only when the jury sends out a question. Today she has stayed in the courtroom throughout the morning talking to onlookers and friends as everyone awaits the verdict. Her attorneys say she is getting a fair amount of city business done while waiting for judgement.
The public information officer of the court says, in the event the jury reaches a verdict, he will notify the media and other parties 30 minutes before the verdict is read.
Stay tuned to ABC2News on air and online as we will break in with any new developments.
