Ohioan is among 1st jurors at old, new courthouses

[June 09, 2011]  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- An Ohio woman called to jury duty on the first day at a new county courthouse this week also was on the first jury at the old court building when it opened in 1973.

Jury commissioner Gretchen Roberts in Columbus says 64-year-old Mary Evans beat odds that are "pretty astronomical." Registered voters are randomly picked by computer for jury service on given dates.

Evans, of suburban Grove City, tells The Columbus Dispatch that it was "kind of cool" that she inaugurated both Franklin County Common Pleas Courthouses.

She says each struck her as an impressive reflection of its time.

Evans was seated Monday on a jury for a domestic violence case when the new, $105 million courthouse opened. In 1973, she served on juries for rape and theft cases.

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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com/

[Associated Press]

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