Legal proceedings concerning former Lubbock Police Corporal Jay Garetson White, 44, ended in a mistrial Tuesday. A juror was exposed to news media coverage of White’s story in the hours prior to being chosen for the jury.
Once the prosecution and defense learned of the situation on Tuesday morning, both sides agreed to a mistrial.
“My client has been accused of a crime he is 100 percent not guilty of,” said Stephen Hamilton, defense attorney for White.
“We spent all day yesterday [Monday] picking a jury,” Hamilton said.
“That article was not just the general ‘here’s who the person is who is being accused of the crime,’” he added. Hamilton said the article went into specific details.
“One of these allegations has been dismissed – completely dismissed.”
An LPD press release from October of 2014 said, “Corporal White’s fiancé contacted LPD Internal Affairs and reported an incident of alleged domestic violence that occurred in Lubbock a few days prior.”
“This is sensationalism journalism,” Hamilton said. “It’s reprehensible. Reprehensible!”
Hamilton accused a local TV station of engaging in sensationalism to get more clicks. Because the station is a competitor to EverythingLubbock.com, the name is not mentioned here.
EverythingLubbock.com found an online article about White – consistent with Hamilton’s claim – with a 51-second video clip. EverythingLubbock.com was unable to find any allegation in the clip that went beyond the public records.
It is not yet clear if the defense, prosecution or judge asked prospective jurors if they had seen recent media coverage.
EverythingLubbock.com will follow up.
