Judge Scolds Jury for Getting the Verdict "Wrong"

COLUMBUS (Carol Luper/Ken Hines) -- A Franklin County judge may be subjected to disciplinary measures after chastising a jury for reaching a not guilty verdict in an assault trial.

Judge Amy Salerno expressed her dissatisfaction with a jury's verdict in open court at the conclusion of a recent trial, according to four jurors, who complained about the incident to Franklin County Administrative Judge James Green.

"The judge came off the bench, and she indicated she thought they had gotten the verdict wrong," Judge Green said.

"They were further told, 99 percent of the time, the jury gets it right. It's now 98 percent. They brought that percentage down by getting it wrong."

One of the jurors who spoke to Judge Green was visibly upset while describing the actions of Salerno, who also stated that she was not done with the defendant that had been acquitted.

"They reported to me [that] she made a comment to them, it was okay because she would have another chance to get this defendant because he had other charges pending," he said.