What was supposed to be a simple one day trial where a Hutchinson woman was charged with a single count of obstruction ended up being anything but simple.
Ashley Reed is charged with obstruction because of her hampering the investigation over two people being struck by a vehicle at a party north of town last fall.
Defense Attorney Sam Kepfield was questioning prospective jurors and apparently asked questions the state found to be objectionable and Judge Trish Rose agreed to repeatedly told Kepfield to move on.
One of the jurors was finally dismissed as a potential juror, but during the lunch break asked to speak with the judge where she told her that she thought Mr. Kepfield showed great disrespect for her. Judge Rose brought her back into court and on the record she stated what she felt about how she thought Kepfield treated her.
Meanwhile, Reed was also angry with Kepfield and asked for another attorney because she thought their was to much animosity between her attorney and Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell.
Acting on the side of caution and her desire to ensure that Reed gets a fair trial, Judge Rose declared a mistrial in that case and reset the trial for October 18.
Reed, you may recall testified in the case against Antahj Jenkins who was sentenced to 53-months in prison after he ran over a Hutchinson man, and struck a Hutchinson woman.
Kepfield made statewide news back in on November 23, 2009 when he was using a compulsion defense in a forgery case and placed the dud hand grenade on the bench in front of the jury and asked them if that intimidated them. When he didn’t get the response he wanted, he then allegedly pulled the pin and again asked them again. He then slammed the grenade on the prosecution table.
Reed has also had other run in’s with the law when she was convicted for possession of cocaine for 28-months, but then as Sheriff Deputy Becky Dyer attempted to place cuffs on her, she apparently resisted telling Dyer someone bigger then her will need to take her in, but Dyer apparently was able to get her to the floor and with the assistance of two case workers from Community Corrections, they were able to get her into cuffs. Apparently, she then screamed all the way to jail.
Reed also has convictions for felony criminal damage, and in a third case misdemeanor battery and criminal damage.
She has also been charged with aggravated battery and aggravated assault, but the jury found her guilty of the lesser charges. She was given a total of 18-months on those two cases, then placed on probation, that was revoked with the latest case.