Rocky Mountain News
Sat., March 8, 1997
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Judge blasts woman as holder of 'agenda'
in case that has drawn nationwide attention
By Guy Kelly, Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Relieved to be free but still defiant after being fined $1,200, Laura Kriho walked out of the Gilpin County Justice Center to applause from dozens of supporters who gathered Friday to support a woman found in contempt of court.
In a case that's drawn national attention for what some say could have a chilling effect on jurors, Kriho told a cheering crowd that she would appeal her conviction and fine for obstruction of justice.
"I don't feel like I did anything wrong," the 32-year-old Nederland woman said. "I think I was a fair and impartial juror."
But Gilpin county District Judge Henry Nieto blistered Kriho during the sentencing.
Nieto said she deliberately derailed the justice system last year when she withheld information about a past drug arrest and served on the jury of a woman accused of drug possession. Kriho was the only juror who believed the defendant was innocent, and the case ended in a mistrial. She also tried to persuade fellow jurors to "nullify" the law because she thought drug-abuse problems were best handled by families and because she felt the penalties were too stiff.
"It's one thing for jurors to vote their conscience," Nieto said. "It's another to come into court with an established agenda and obstruct justice."
Kriho, a University of Colorado research assistant, was convicted February 10 of contempt of court for obstructing justice. She could have gotten six months in jail, but Nieto fined her $1,200.
She contends there were reasonable doubts about the evidence against the defendant, and that she was never asked about prior involvement with the courts during jury selection.
"I feel I've been convicted of a thought crime," Kriho said. Paul Grant, Kriho's attorney, said they will appeal because the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that could lead other jurors to muzzle themselves.
Kriho said she didn't mention the drug arrest because it was supposed to be wiped off her record and she didn't think about it during jury selection. At 19, she was arrested for LSD possession. She pleaded guilty and received a deferred sentence. But prosecutors say the mistrial resulted from Kriho's hostility to drug laws and her belief that jurors should challenge the law, not just weigh evidence. Kriho is a vocal support of the legalization of industrial hemp.
Kriho said she was never asked specifically about drug laws or if she had used drugs, but the judge ruled it was clear the matters were relevant and should have been disclosed. After the May drug trial, prosecutors dug up the old arrest and slapped Kriho with the contempt charges.
Prosecutor Jim Stanley blasted Kriho for what he called repugnant and offensive behavior, saying Kriho deliberately misled the court and then misrepresented her conviction for political purposes.
"She played games and engaged in deceit to further her personal agenda," Stanley said.
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