Nearly 75 Percent Of Summoned Jurors Don't Appear

LEBANON -- The jury selection phase of the Ryan Widmer retrial got off to a strange start Wednesday.

News 5's Karin Johnson said that of about 100 potential jurors summoned, only about two dozen showed up. Of those, all but two were excused, Johnson said.

At one point, Johnson said, Judge Neal Bronson called 11 potential jurors to the courtroom and said he was sending them home because of an unspecified incident that occurred shortly before.

Bronson did not elaborate on the reason for the dismissals, though Johnson said it appeared the incident happened in the hallway outside the courtroom. Jill Widmer, Ryan's mother, was called to the judge's chambers.

Ryan Widmer is accused of drowning his wife, Sarah, in a bathtub at their home. He was convicted of murder last year, but the trial verdict was overturned after evidence of juror misconduct surfaced.

The retrial is scheduled to start Monday. Johnson will have more on this story later today.