‘Exhausted’ Stevens Jury Subjected to ‘Violent Outbursts’

ABC News’ Jason Ryan reports: The jury deliberating the case of Sen. Ted Stevens adjourned for the day without reaching a verdict. Their second day of deliberations was delayed when a note from the jury room to Judge Emmet Sullivan indicated that one of the jurors had "violent outbursts" with the other jurors.

Around midday Thursday, Sullivan read the note which said, "We, the jury, request that juror #9 be removed. She has had violent outbursts with other jurors and that is not helping anyone. The jurors are getting off course … She is being rude, disrespectful and unreasonable." According to information from the jury selection phase of the trial, the troubled juror, a female woman believed to be in her 40s, works for the National Guard in the D.C. area.

When Sullivan first received the note, he declined to read it publicly in open court while he decided what actions to take; the prosecutors seemed to look more concerned than the Stevens defense team. Sullivan ruled against bringing in the jury foreman to get his take on what events transpired and also decided against bringing the woman juror into the courtroom for questioning. Sullivan instead brought the 12 jurors into the courtroom and told them, "You should encourage civility and mutual respect among yourselves," he said.

Toward the end of the day, at 4:15 p.m., the jurors sent another note indicating they have reviewed the evidence and noted “we have exhausted ourselves.” The note said that the jurors were unanimous in needing a break for the day. Sullivan gathered the jurors in the courtroom and dismissed them. When the jurors finally left for the day, Sullivan said he believed he handled the issue correctly today and said, "everyone was smiling and no one seemed agitated."

Deliberations resume tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.