A couple of weeks ago I was called for jury duty by the Pearl River County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

It’s a responsibility that may cause registered voters to cringe when they are called.

But I was bit interested to see the process from the inside, and was curious what kind of case would be heard in court.

I’ve seen the jury selection process from the audience, but viewing the process from another angle gave new insight.

For the most part, the experience was positive. Court staff were professional and the process went quickly.

The only aspect of my day in court on Wednesday that caught me off guard was the case itself.

It was not until halfway through the morning that we learned the basis of the trial ahead; the escape of an inmate on house arrest.

As I sat and listened to the defense state that they did not dispute the fact that the defendant cut off his ankle bracelet and fled the confines of his home, I couldn’t help but wonder why this was worthy of a trial.

The kicker came when the defense stated they were instead trying to prove that the defendant did not break a law, but instead a “lesser” rule.

After hearing this, I became even more confused. I thought to myself, “How could a case like this even make it to trial?”

Naturally, after two days of testimony and some deliberation, the defendant was found guilty of escape and sentenced to another five years. Hopefully, this time they won’t give him house arrest.

What irks me the most, and probably the 14 people who lost two days of their lives, is a habitual offender tried to get off on a technicality.

That, in my opinion, was a waste of our tax dollars.