DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — The corruption trial of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price got off to a bumpy start Thursday.
There was an hour-long delay at the beginning of the trial so the court could replace a juror who was hospitalized. She was eventually dismissed, leaving the jury now with 12 members and three alternates in a trial that District Judge Barbara Lynn says could last until late June.
Then, it took from around 9:45 in the morning until well into the afternoon to read Price’s 107-page indictment — a standard court procedure.
Lynn at first said the government would present its two-hour opening statements Thursday with the defense’s Friday, but the defense objected because it didn’t feel it was fair for the jury to go home and rest only hearing one side.
Lynn agreed and delayed opening statements. However, they now won’t be made until Monday or Tuesday because a different juror’s mother is ill, meaning the trial will not proceed Friday.
“We’re not off to a rip-roaring start,” Lynn said while discussing the possibility of delaying proceedings until next week.
Price is accused of accepting upwards of $900,000 in bribes while serving on the county commission and could face decades in prison if convicted.
