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April 4, 2008

Smoke-shop case: Jury returns to deliberations

PROVIDENCE -- Jurors have returned to the task at hand today, returning at 9:50 a.m. to the case against seven Narragansett Indians who were arrested during a state police raid on a tribal smoke shop.

The jury began deliberating Tuesday and was dismissed at 4 p.m. yesterday.

The seven defendants, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face 17 misdemeanor charges among, including resisting arrest and simple assault after a scuffle broke out during the 2003 raid on the tax-free shop on tribal land.

The seven defendants face up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both. No one has been charged with selling untaxed cigarettes.

Yesterday, the judge and lawyers in the trial met in chambers for much of the morning, delaying the start of a third day of jury deliberations.

McGuirl then gave the jurors instructions and urged them to listen and talk to each other, saying, "You need to keep your minds open."

Extra: More coverage of the trial, including photos and video of the 2003 raid and documents filed with the courts.

-- with reports from Journal staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 10:31 AM | Permalink

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