I think it will be very difficult to seat a Jury in Pike County.
I believe, for the legal record, they have to try, and can be granted a change of venue only after it is apparent a 12 person Jury plus Alternates can not be seated in Pike County.
For discussion, Here is some information from Ohio Bar regarding Jury selection and service:
Why is jury service so important? A juror is a very important person in our legal system because our justice system is based on the belief that a just and fair result in court comes from having disputes settled by our fellow citizens.
www.ohiobar.org
How are jurors selected?
In Ohio, persons are selected for jury service by random drawing from either a list of registered voters or a combined list of the registered votes and the list of licensed drivers residing in the county or city that the court serves.
What are the requirements for being a juror?
To serve on a jury, you must be a bona fide resident of the geographical area served by that particular court.
Ohio jurors must be at least 18 years of age and they must not have lost their right to serve on a jury by having been convicted of certain types of crime (or must have had those rights restored).
May I be excused from jury service?
The following persons can be excused from jury service:
members of cloistered religious orders;
people whose mental or physical condition renders them incapable of performing jury service,
whose spouse or near relative has recently died or is seriously ill,
whose jury service would cause them or someone in their care extreme physical or financial hardship, or who would be harmed or would harm the public by serving on a jury;
those who are older than 75 years of age;
those who are members of a recognized Amish sect; and members of the armed forces currently on active duty.
Even if you fall within one of these categories, the court must approve your excuse.
What happens when I appear for jury service?
When you arrive at the court, you are directed to a particular courtroom or to an assembly area.
Some courts provide a brief orientation talk or video to help explain the system.
During the jury selection process, all prospective jurors take an oath or agree to answer truthfully and fully answer the questions the judge and attorneys will ask.
The purpose of the questioning is to find out if there is some reason why it might be difficult for a prospective juror to be fair and impartial in the case to be tried.
As a prospective juror, you are introduced to the parties and the attorneys in the case and given a list of probable witnesses.
If you have some relationship to one of these persons, you might have difficulty considering the case impartially, and you will likely be excused from jury service for that case.
You are also told a little bit about the case so it can be determined if any past experience or bias might make it hard for you to be fair.
You also have an opportunity to tell the court about anything else that might impact your ability to sit as a juror, including health problems, employment situations and other obligations.
You have the right to respond to questions confidentially to the judge and attorneys, if you wish. Obviously, you must be truthful.
Generally, each side in a case has the right to ask that a certain limited number of jurors be excused without giving a reason (called a peremptory challenge). Each side also can make an unlimited number of challenges for good reasons (called challenges for cause).
When attorneys make these challenges, their intent is not to personally embarrass potential jurors, but to ensure that the jurors chosen will evaluate the case as fairly as possible for their clients.
What rules do jurors have to follow?
After the jury has been selected, the jurors must stand and take an oath or affirm that they will:
1) “well and truly” try the particular case for which they have been chosen;
wait until all the evidence has been heard before making up their minds; and follow all of the judge’s instructions about the law and procedures in arriving at a verdict.
The jury decides the facts from the evidence and the judge instructs about the law.
Jurors must pay attention throughout the trial and do their best to determine the credibility of each witness.
Jurors are not permitted to discuss the case among themselves or with anyone else until all evidence has been presented, the attorneys have made their closing arguments and the judge has instructed the jurors about the law that applies to the case.
Jurors may not independently investigate the matters involved in the lawsuit, and they may not discuss the case with anyone outside the courtroom until after they have deliberated in the jury room and arrived at a verdict.
This restriction includes any use of electronic technology to obtain information about the case or its subject matter, or to communicate with anyone about the case.
After the verdict, jurors are allowed to discuss the case if they choose.
# The above are selected snippets from the article.
If a change of venue is needed, I don’t know how it is determined what the next or new venue will be.
