MECOSTA COUNTY, MI -- A former pastor who handed out jury nullification pamphlets in front of a Big Rapids courthouse has been convicted of a misdemeanor jury tampering charge.

A jury deliberated 45 minutes before finding Keith Wood guilty of the charge.

His trial began Wednesday and finished Thursday, June 1 with the verdict.

Wood was arrested in November 2015 for standing on the sidewalk outside of the 77th District Court in Big Rapids and handing out pamphlets titled "What rights do you have as a juror that the judge won't tell you about?"

He was there the same day as a jury was being picked for a land use case against an Amish man and prosecutors say he was aware of the court case. The Amish man had a dispute with the state over wetlands.

Wood's attorney argued that handing out pamphlets wit general information -- nothing mentioning a specific case -- is free speech.

But Mecosta County prosecutors say the information in the pamphlets misrepresented the legal system and could lead to a lawless society.

Initially, Wood was charged with felony obstruction of justice and jury tampering. The felony charge was dropped in March 2016.

The pamphlets handed out by Wood in November 2015 essentially advised prospective jurors to vote their conscience over the law.

Wood will be sentenced at a later date not yet set by the court.