Jordan Excused From Trial: Day Two

Our coverage of day one's proceedings can be found here

Schoharie County reconvened its ongoing trial/hearing against suspended Personnel Officer Cassandra Ethington into day two Wednesday evening, where defense attorney Ron Dunn continued his questioning of County Labor Attorney Mary Roach from Tuesday night. 

But not before one Supervisor was removed from the panel selected to sit in judgment of Ms. Ethington. 

Meeting for thirty minutes behind closed doors, members of the panel voted to excuse Jefferson Supervisor Sean Jordan from their deliberations. Jordan, visibly upset at the decision, was excluded because the defense planned to cite his own previous lawsuit filed against the county in 2012 for wrongful termination. 

With Jordan's exclusion, the panel was reduced to only eight supervisors: Ms. Bleau of Wright, Mr. Buzon of Middleburgh, Mr. McAllister of Cobleskill, Mr. Federice of Conesville, Mr. Smith of Blenheim, Mr. Smith of Broome, Mr. VanGlad of Gilboa, and Mr. VanWormer of Esperance. 

Mr. Dunn resumed questioning of Ms. Roach by revisiting the Gigandet and Grimes lawsuits, but when he began querying the labor attorney on the Jordan case special prosecutor Michael McDermott objected to it as irrelevant, which Mr. VanGlad sustained, and the defense was barred from further mentioning it. 

The mostly full courtroom would subsequently be confined to approximately two hours of back and forth, at points contentious, exchanges between Mr. Dunn and Ms. Roach as the defense pursued several lines of seemingly unrelated questioning on Ms. Roach's testimony offered on Tuesday. 

As Mr. Dunn's cross-examination passed the four hour mark shortly after nine, the second day of hearings were concluded with Ms. Roach scheduled to return for a third day of testimony Thursday evening. County officials had scheduled the trial for three days, but with the hearing stalled on the first witness, it may have to be extended into next week.

Proceedings will commence once more on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. on the third floor of the Schoharie County Courthouse, where the defense will further continue its questioning of Ms. Roach, and subsequent witnesses will be called if time allows.