Roloff acquitted by judge after jury misconduct discovered
Posted by The Oregonian January 10, 2008 13:04PM
HILLSBORO -- A Washington County judge acquitted reality TV star Matt Roloff of drunken-driving charges this morning after it became clear to him that jurors had been looking up legal issues on the Internet.
Roloff was convicted of two minor traffic offenses and fined $742. Afterward, Roloff said he was glad the case was over.
"I'm just anxious to get back and spend time with my family," Roloff said. Asked if he ever doubted the outcome, Roloff said, "I never did."
Jurors deliberated about three hours Wednesday after a two-day trial but went home without reaching a verdict. This morning, jurors sent questions to Circuit Judge Donald R. Letourneau that led him to believe they had been looking up the legal definition of "implied consent" and the reliability of drunken-driving tests administered by police.
Letourneau met with prosecutors and Roloff's attorneys, who said they would be willing to waive Roloff's right to a jury trial and let the judge give a verdict instead. Upon returning to court, Letourneau found Roloff not guilty of the drunken-driving charge. The judge convicted Roloff of refusing to take a breath test and driving outside his lane.
Before dismissing the jurors, Letourneau scolded them about ignoring his direction to make their decision based only on the testimony. He said he wanted the public to know what the jurors did, not to embarass them but as a civics lesson for others who may become jurors.
Roloff, 46, and his wife and four children are the focus of "Little People, Big World," a show The Learning Channel has aired for three seasons. The show is billed as depicting the everyday struggles of a wholesome, loving family. The parents and one son have dwarfism.
A Washington County Sheriff's Office deputy stopped Roloff shortly before midnight June 19, 2007, about a mile from his farm.
Roloff, who refused a breath test after the traffic stop, testified that he had one beer but was not drunk after getting home from a 3,800-mile RV trip that the program recently aired.
Roloff said he was having trouble driving because the van was his wife's, and her pedal extensions are set up differently from his.
A deputy testified he followed Roloff's van from a Bethany-area bar because it could not stay within the lane lines.
Deputy Allen Pastori testified that Roloff failed a field sobriety test because his eyes bounced all around and could not follow the deputy's finger. Pastori said Roloff's eyes also were watery and glassy, and his breath smelled of alcohol.
