During trial Tuesday in La Salle County Circuit Court, defendant Johnathan T. Pinney said he meditates, practices magic and casts spells.
It remains to be seen whether he has bewitched a five-woman, seven-man jury.

The jailed 23-year-old Pinney is representing himself in his trial. The former Norway man is accused of biting through the uniform sleeve of an Ottawa police officer and breaking the officer's skin Jan. 13, 2006, while a patient in the mental health unit at Community Hospital of Ottawa. Pinney has been in custody since, with legal determinations going back and forth as to his mental fitness to stand trial.

Jury selection took place from about 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, with a break for lunch. Parts of Pinney's face were marked Monday and Tuesday with a dark pencil, making him resemble television horror film host Svengoolie or rock singer Alice Cooper. Pinney also has worn a bandanna and several articles of clothing with drawings on the back and with strips of cloth around his legs and one wrist.

The trial began Tuesday morning with Co-Deputy State's Attorney Todd Martin and Pinney taking turns explaining the events of Jan. 13, 2006. CHO psychiatrist Dr. Craig Kestenberg also testified.

On that day, Pinney was a patient in the mental health unit. He put on a hooded cloak and said he was wearing the garment because in his hospital room he had set up a desk as an altar facing east and was meditating. Pinney has said he is a neo-pagan who embraces evil and practices magic and Wicca, belonging to a coven. He said at prior hearings he wanted to wear a cloak during the trial, but Raccuglia told him it was up to him to acquire such a garment. He has not worn a cloak in court.

Hospital staff wanted to take the cloak from him because the string in the cloak's neck could be used to commit suicide by hanging. Pinney refused, telling the jury Tuesday the hospital staff were trying to "steal my property."

Kestenberg testified Pinney became agitated and took on an intimidating stare after staff said they wanted the cloak and he moved to barricade himself in his room. Staff called hospital security and Ottawa police to restrain Pinney in his bed so a tranquilizer could be injected into him.

As police were trying to restrain the thrashing Pinney to the bed, he bit one officer on the forearm, requiring the officer to seek treatment.

Kestenberg also testified that at the time he believed Pinney had bipolar mood disorder, suffering from psychosis, grandiosity and delusions, with thoughts of suicide. The psychiatrist also related Pinney told him he voluntarily entered the mental unit to avoid going to jail.

Through questioning of the psychiatrist Tuesday, Pinney suggested he was allergic to the tranquilizer he was to receive and so resisted.

In his opening remarks to the jury, Pinney held note cards and told jurors he doesn't trust Raccuglia and didn't expect Kestenberg to be honest on the stand. Pinney also likened Martin to an actor and salesman. He spent time instructing the jury in their duties, drawing an interruption from Raccuglia, who said the jury already had been informed of its job. A number of other times Tuesday, Raccuglia explained procedural matters to Pinney, who is not an attorney.

Pinney derided the charge against him, telling jurors he is neither a violent nor strong person. Several times he described the hospital staff, police and prosecutors as a "gang," saying gang activity is what the "government has come to."

The trial was set to resume today with jury deliberations expected to begin in the afternoon. During Tuesday's session, several courthouse employees and County Board members sat in the courtroom's spectator section for varying periods to watch the proceedings.

One of the jurors is an attorney and another juror, a man, almost fainted Tuesday afternoon, presumably because the courtroom was muggy, prompting Raccuglia to call a recess.

Source: mywebtimes.com