Judge to sentence juror for missing day on jury

A federal judge is scheduled to sentence a medical-devices salesman for contempt after he left on a business trip to Iowa during a trial at which he was serving as a juror.

The chief judge at the U.S. District Court in Chicago on Tuesday could send Scott Enke to jail for up to three days.

Contempt cases against jurors are rare. But Judge James Holderman blasted Enke in a May ruling. He wrote that the 33-year-old made his business a higher priority than jury duty and that such attitudes threatened the institution underpinning the entire justice system.

Defense attorney Kevin Bolger has said his client called the trial judge's office and thought he'd been excused for the day. Bolger has also said Enke is embarrassed and is sorry.