Last week, a Montezuma County jury convicted a California man on several domestic violence charges.<\/p>\n
Thomas Reim, 68, was found guilty of theft, harassment and criminal mischief after ransacking his former wife\u2019s Mancos home in December 2013. District Attorney Will Furse said the offenses were acts of domestic violence.<\/p>\n
Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on one count of burglary. Furse said he hasn\u2019t decided whether he\u2019ll prosecute that charge again.<\/p>\n
During opening statements last week, Furse said Reim stole thousands of dollars of items from the woman\u2019s home, including a ceiling fan, microwave, fireplace mantel, vintage skis, framed photos, cabinets, lamps and a mounted buffalo head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a classic domestic violence case,\u201d Furse told jurors.<\/p>\n
Furse said the defendant also left a hangman\u2019s noose in the residence and spray-painted the words \u201ccheat,\u201d \u201clier\u201d and \u201cthief\u201d on an interior wall.<\/p>\n
Paid defense attorney Robert Sims argued in opening statements that there were no eyewitnesses and added that other people had access to the residence. He described the trial as a divorce case gone wrong after a 20-year common law marriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe charges are unfair and unjust,\u201d Sims told jurors.<\/p>\n
A snag in the trial<\/p>\n
Last week\u2019s trial started with a glitch before opening statements when jurors became locked inside the deliberation room for about 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyway you can pull the knob off from the inside?\u201d Chief District Court Judge Doug Walker shouted through the locked door.<\/p>\n
After attempting to unlock the door with a screwdriver, Walker jokingly announced, \u201cThe jurors are safely sequestered.\u201d<\/p>\n
A locksmith was called to help free the jury of 10 women and three men. Upon their release, one juror joked, \u201cI called my wife, and told her not to pay the ransom.\u201d<\/p>\n