SCRANTON — Jury selection began this morning in the federal trial of a McAdoo man charged with fleeing prosecution after making online threats against President Donald Trump and another person.
Shawn Christy was indicted on July 10, 2018, for making threats on Facebook against Trump and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli. Christy fled and remained on the lam until Sept. 21, 2018, when he was captured in Ohio.
Christy faces multiple charges for the threats and crimes he’s accused of committing while on the lam, including interstate transportation of stolen vehicles and firearms and being a fugitive in possession of a firearm.
Christy, who is representing himself, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sempa began questioning a pool of 60 jurors around 10:30 a.m. Of those people, 45 indicated they had heard about the case and are being individually questioned about whether they can be impartial.
As of 11:15 a.m. one jury was excused for cause after he indicated he might have trouble putting aside information he learned from media reports.
Christy has a history of outbursts in court. He remained calm throughout the first portion of the case. He questioned several potential jurors about whether they felt threatened by the manhunt, but made no other statements.
Jury selection is expected to continue most of the day before U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani. It’s not clear yet if opening statements will being today.
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