Woman Fakes Post Tramautic Stress Disorder To Get Off Jury Duty

It's no surprise that most people don't like jury duty. Even here in Lubbock, we have a large number of people who just simply don't show up to serve. (which is a real shame) But at least we don't have anyone who goes to this kind of trouble to skip out on jury duty.

In Denver, Colorado, a woman was arrested after it was discovered she had faked having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in order to get out of jury duty. However, she blew her own cover by later bragging about her lie on the radio.

Susan Cole arrived for jury selection in June 2011 looking purposefully disheveled, wearing curlers in her hair and mismatched shoes, according to an affidavit obtained by the Denver Post.

Cole reportedly told Denver District Court Judge Anne Mansfield she “broke out of domestic violence in the military” and had “a lot of repercussions,” including PTSD.

“Her makeup looked like something you would wear during a theater performance,” court reporter Kelli Wessels told investigators at the time, according to the Denver Post. “When the judge asked the entire panel if anyone had a mental illness, [Cole] stated she had difficulties getting ready in the morning, which was apparent to me by the way she was dressed.”

Cole was excused from her civic duties. But her plot was foiled four months later when Judge Mansfield heard a woman bragging about how she faked mental illness to evade jury duty on a local radio show.

The woman, who called herself “Char from Denver,” was Cole, an author who uses “Char” as a pen name, the Denver Post reported.

Cole pleaded guilty to second-degree perjury and attempting to influence a public service, and was sentenced to two years of probation and 40 hours of community service.

Do you really need to go to so much trouble just to get out of jury duty? I understand people may not want to sit around all day and miss work and all that, but come on. Jury duty is just that, our duty. Just the threat of a jury trial is enough for many cases to get settled on the courthouse steps, but in order for that to happen, you need jurors there who are ready to serve. Suck it up and deal with it, and save those excuses for when you need to get off of work instead. (just kidding!)