Excuses, excuses

Okay, folks, get a load of this one:

LOS ANGELES Judges and attorneys have heard many excuses from people who want time off during jury service, but a man's request Wednesday in the midst of a West Covina murder case proved a novel one for two defense lawyers.

The middle-aged juror told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Pounders that he needs Tuesday off to go to jail.

[...]

The apologetic man -- known under the Superior Court's anonymous jury system as Juror No. 8, said that he has put off serving a five-day jail sentence for a drunken-driving conviction.

He said he needs to begin the term on Friday and is due to be released Tuesday night.

According to the story, the man left a party where he must have had more than a few drinks. He got in his car, hit a pedestrian on his way home, blacked out and woke up handcuffed to a bed--it doesn't say where the bed was.

Here's the kicker, though...

Asked why he replied "no" when asked along with other prospective panelists in the jury selection process whether he had ever been accused of a crime, the man replied, "I wasn't accused, I was convicted."

The guy's being honest, eventually, but I'm not sure that's the kind of brilliant legal mind I'd want on the jury if I was on trial. Splitting hairs and such.