Western Pennsylvania man pays $500 fine to avoid jail for missing jury duty 11 times

SOMERSET, Pa. – A western Pennsylvania man has paid a $500 fine to avoid being jailed for missing jury duty 11 times in the last two years.

Somerset County Judge D. Gregory Geary told 32-year-old Owen Fazenbaker III that he’d spend a week in jail if he didn’t pay the fine. Fazenbaker paid on Friday.

Fazenbaker was arrested March 23 when he showed up at the courthouse for a child custody hearing and sheriff’s deputies arrested him on a warrant for missing jury duty.

Under the law, the judge could have sentenced Fazenbaker to a $500 fine and 10 days in jail for each time he had missed jury duty.

The Stoystown man says he’ll respond to jury summonses in the future.

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