Trial juror who read newspaper fined $4,000

Elizabeth Murray | Burlington (Vt.) Free Press

BURLINGTON, Vt. — A Shelburne man will pay $4,000 after striking a plea agreement with the Vermont Attorney General's Office, who said the man read the newspaper while serving on the jury in a sexual assault case against an ex-jail guard.

Robert Blow Sr., 78, pleaded no contest to contempt of court during a change of plea hearing in late May in Burlington. A plea of no contest means Blow neither admits nor disputes the charge but acknowledges there is the potential for conviction if the case were to go to trial.

Blow agreed to pay $150 per month, per the recommendation of Judge James Crucitti, plus other court surcharges.

Blow served on a jury last November during the second trial of Richard Gallow, 47, of Highgate Center. The trial ended with a hung jury, meaning the jurors could not make a final decision on Gallow's fate. Gallow's first trial in July 2014 ended with the same result.

Gallow is accused of lewd and lascivious conduct and sexual assault without consent of a female inmate at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility stemming from incidents in 2010. Pretrial preparation has begun for a potential third trial.

Blow had read the Burlington Free Press during the trial and shared the media reports with fellow jurors during jury deliberation, an affidavit stated.

Jurors are told multiple times before, during and after trial they must not read media reports or do other personal research on the case before a final verdict reached. All decisions by jurors must only be based on evidence presented during the trial.