Jail Sentence Stopped For Man Convicted Of Jury Tampering

BIG RAPIDS (AP) — A judge has blocked a jail sentence while he reviews the case of a man who distributed pamphlets outside a Michigan courthouse and was convicted of jury tampering.

Keith Wood was sentenced to eight weekends in jail last week in Mecosta County. But Wood's lawyer says another judge stopped the sentence while he pursues an appeal.

Wood was arrested in 2015 for standing outside the courthouse in Big Rapids and telling prospective jurors to choose their conscience over the law.

Prosecutors said Wood was trying to influence a case involving a man who had a wetlands dispute with the state of Michigan. The case didn't go to trial. Wood says he was exercising his free speech rights.

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