On Wednesday the 16 of June, a jury trial ended involving Mr. Kenton Coy. He was charged with tampering with physical evidence. The charge stemmed from his presentation in an eviction action, a document claimed to be a lease or rental agreement. The document was presented as a defense to the eviction action. This happened last fall.

The victim in this case, the landlord, denied that the signature on the document was his own. The jury heard from the witnesses and an expert from the crime lab, as well as a handwriting analyst hired by the defendant. They gave opinions about whether the signature was genuine.

At the conclusion of the trial, the jury deliberated for less than one hour and returned a guilty verdict. The sentencing hearing was conducted at that time. Judge Tviet noted Mr. Coy’s past criminal convictions and indicated that she took such dishonest conduct seriously. The court sentenced Mr. Coy to 30 days in jail, and held him accountable for some of the costs of the case and the expenses of his court appointed attorney, Ms. Dee Hokum. The state was represented by deputy prosecutor Lech Radzimski. The court set June 23 at 5 p.m. as the date and time Mr. Coy was to report to jail.

On June 23, in the morning, the Judge Tviet listened to a motion by the defendant to stay the judgment pending the appeal. After listening to the arguments of the attorneys, the court decided to stay the sentence pending the outcome of the appeal.

In the jury system, we have the kind of justice system that can do the right thing, but the foundation of it all is that people tell the truth. No judge or jury can do what is right if they are not provided the truth about the situation. The crime in this case went to the heart of our justice system and for that reason the case was important.