Susan Cole thought she had a clever way out of jury duty. The author and Denver cosmetologist dressed up as a mentally unstable homeless person suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from military service and domestic violence. It worked . . . at least until Cole called a radio station to brag about her dubious success. Now, the former Juror No. 4361 has returned to court now as a criminal defendant.
Cole reportedly called Denver’s “Dave Logan Show” to brag about her successful performance, explaining “I put black eyebrows on, red lipstick on, left my hair in curlers and wore a tee shirt that read ‘Ask Me About My Best Seller.’ . . I put my lipstick on like someone who really didn’t know how to put lipstick on.”
One listener was reportedly Denver District Court Judge Anne Mansfield, the judge that excused her. Cole identified herself as “Char from Denver”, but an investigator with the District Attorney’s office was able to quickly find the case. Given her false statements on her past, the case presented a straightforward case of perjury. Calling herself “Char from Denver,” Cole told Judge Mansfield “I broke out of domestic violence in the military. And I have a lot of repercussions. One is post-traumatic stress disorder.”
During the show, Cole bragged that “For about two weeks after when my roommate and I would think about it, or I would tell my clients about it, we would cry we would laugh so hard.” The felony charges for perjury and attempting to influence a public servant may now take the laugh out of the lark.
Cole later admitted she used “Char Cole” as her pen name. She is the author of the book, “Seven Initiations with El-Way’s Secrets,” which promises readers that it will “renew your spiritual outlook and help you deal with difficult relationships and situations.” It uses passages from Genesis and Revelations for such spiritual awakening. This is one “difficult situation” where Cole could share a new revelation: converting jury duty into jail time is, spiritually and legally, a bad idea.
Source: Denver Post
Are you sure it was the judge who listened, or was it some NSA/FBI computer looking for tips?
Truly yours,
Paranoid Freud
Char Cole … charcoal … is what happens when something gets burned.
That name will have more meaning now.
Bio Char might be what she should title her biography.
A real life” I Almost Got Away With It”.
What an idiot. She needs to go to jail just for being stupid and arrogant.
You really couldn’t make this up. I see the picture is of her in her PTSD “disguise”.
and she gives spiritual advice…. I say shaking my head in disbelief.
Try going to defend a defendant in a rural county in Missouri where there are a fair number of Jehovahs Witness church goers, or who claim to be, who state that for religious grounds they “cant judge another person”. Well, you might want some of those jurors, over say the guy who admitted to being in the Klan back in the 50′s when he was in his 30′s” but dont hold nuttin against no negras.” The religious excuse looks lame when the Clerk informs you that JoeBob is a member of his own church but never goes. JoeBob’s daddy was a Jehovahs witness. You want JoeBob on the jury, even though he is trying to get back to farming before the storms hit, but how do you rehabilitate him from his confabulations?
Yet another “criminal” that is being unfairly targeted, just like Dharun Ravi. When will prosecutors learn that criminals can publicize their crimes without penalty?
I’m 70. Have been called to jury duty five times(!) to county or suburban court. Always showed up in work clothes (suit and tie). Never served, always excused by one side or another. Any clues why?
Until now, never drooled on myself, btw.
Disgusting charlatan who doesn’t even do a good caricature of PTSD.
I hope she’s seated in front of a real jury soon.
I’m currently in my two weeks of jury service…have yet to be called onto a jury, but have spent plenty of time at the courthouse answering questions and getting excused.
I show up in my work attire, suit and tie, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to do my civic duty…
Maybe its just the eagle scout in me, but I don’t see what people are willing to try so hard to get out of jury duty.
One reason to stay away from jury trials….better just the judge….
Disgusting. I have been called once, and was excused by peremptory challenge. That doesn’t seem like to tough a burden to me.
I served on a jury, from which I thought I’d be excused, although I wasn’t trying.
A tenant drank himself to sleep while smoking. His apartment caught fire. He sued his landlord for the cost of his clothing and for wages the rest of his life, because the fire caused migraine headaches twice a month.
While being questioned, I answered that I worked at Social Security as a disability examiner, that I rarely approved migraine headache claims if there were infrequent occurrences, that both lawyers had represented claimants before me and lost, and that the plaintiff’s vocational experts were Social Security advocates who argued in favor of disability – I rarely accepted their pleadings as neutral – they did not work for decision-making agencies. People hired them for the sole purpose of getting Social Security.
After I’d made these comments in front of the whole jury pool, both lawyers said I’d be fine, and they selected the next 5 people they interviewed, for a jury of six. I became the foreman.
When was she sworn… I am unsure if she was not sworn she can be charged with perjury….now, lying to a judge is never a good ideal….. That gets you burnt real quick……
Dredd,
Very perceptive….. Char Cole……
Well, some judge is certainly going to kick her ash this time.
(I figured I better say that before pete beat me to the punch.)
Gene, I would say she is gonna get burned after a good grilling by the judge.
She’s might need there’s warrior story refresher before going to the judge pool…..
OS,
You are making me hungry!
So Dennis: What was the case and what was the outcome?
I served on a jury one time & the biggest question was “What the heck does that lawyer think he is trying to do?”
Thank pasta this woman didn’t serve, as stupid and arrogant as she is it would not have gone well!
JCTheBigTree, the reason so many people do their best to get out of jury duty should be obvious. It can be a HUGE financial burden.
many companies do not pay your wages while you are in a jury. Many people get paid commission so they won’t get paid. Many businesses are working with bare minimum employees due to the economy so having an employee out is a burden to them as well.
It is one thing if is a one day jury duty but much longer than that and for some it would be a major and unbearable burden to do their so called “civic duty”. A duty that so many privileged people get exempted from
According to a pilot study published in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Healing and Caring, veterans with high levels of PTSD saw their PTSD levels drop to within normal limits after treatment. They reported that combat memories that had previously haunted them, including graphic details of deaths, mutilations, and firefights, dropped in intensity to the point where they no longer resulted in flashbacks, nightmares, and other symptoms of PTSD. The study involved veterans from Vietnam, as well as more recent conflicts. .
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