Preacher resisting jury duty briefly jailed

SANDPOINT - A Bonner County man who is ducking jury duty because he considers it a form of slavery was arrested for earlier this month for defying a court's order.

Charles Eugene Sandelin is charged with criminal contempt.

Sandelin, 69, was arrested on March 21 and briefly jailed. A neighbor posted Sandelin's $1,000 bail and he was released, according to court documents.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanor charge next month.

Sandelin, an outspoken Baptist minister from Samuels, was mailed a juror qualification questionnaire two years ago, but declined to fill it out and instead sent a letter to the jury commissioner arguing that the civic duty would be an infringement upon his Constitutional rights, including the protection against involuntary servitude.

After ignoring reminders and later a court order directing him to fill out the form and return it, Sandelin was summoned to court in April 2006 to court to explain why he should not be held in contempt.

The hearing was continued so District Judge Steve Verby could review Sandelin's arguments. But Sandelin failed to show at the follow-up hearing.

He mailed back his hearing notice, over which he used a computer printer to write “I REFUTE THE VALIDITY OF YOUR UNATTESTED CLAIM” and “I AM NOT MADE LIABLE.”

Criminal contempt proceedings against were initiated about three months after he failed to appear at the continued hearing, court records show.