Jurors in Hattiesburg election trial have plenty to ponder
It seemed Ware v. DuPree started this past week as kind of trial by tedium. If you want to become mayor of Hattiesburg, you must prove your mettle by enduring hours of testimony regarding the proper placement of signatures across absentee ballot envelope flaps.
Then things started to sizzle Friday, with testimony of voter fraud that cuts to the heart of election integrity. Judge William Coleman even called for order in the court, as spectators reacted excitedly to the heated exchange between Forrest County Jail inmate Samuel Lindsey and attorney Precious Martin over whether Lindsey had been promised his release for his vote.
So what did we — and the jury — learn from a week that began with a defense motion to dismiss the trial and ended with the plaintiff Dave Ware resting his case against Mayor Johnny DuPree?
Hattiesburg American
7/28/13
