Application For Criminal Complaint Issued Against Man Who Died In 2006
GEORGETOWN (CBS) - Michael Wylie has a pretty good reason for missing jury duty. He died five years ago. Now the state is going after him for skipping out on his jury service.
"I said, 'If you want him, go get him,'" said his widow, Cindy Wylie.
Cindy Wylie received a letter in the mail from the MA Jury Commissioner Wednesday. It was an application for criminal complaint against her late husband, with a hearing date set for July.
When WBZ-TV notified Deputy Jury Commissioner John Cavanaugh that Wylie is dead, he said he needs proof, such a as a death certificate from his widow.
Cindy Wylie says she doesn't have a copy handy and doesn't feel she should have to go through the trouble of ordering a new one.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager reports.
"It's going to cost me time and money to get the paperwork. We pay a lot of money for our taxes, now they're spending more money to send me this stuff every year. They can't research that Mike is indeed dead?" said Cindy.
It first came up when Michael Wylie was called to jury duty in 2006. Since he was in hospice care dying of cancer, his wife replied that he would not be able to serve. State officials said they asked for a doctor's note.
"I honestly don't remember," said Wylie.
Even though he died months later, his widow says the state has continued to send him letters about missing jury duty.
"Each year since then, we've called up, we've contacted them, we've sent back the form and wrote on it, 'deceased,'" said Wylie.
Cavanaugh said unless Wylie sends a death certificate, an arraignment date will be set. If no one shows up for that, a criminal warrant will be issued. Wylie's widow said she'd like to see authorities go ahead and try to arrest her husband, who is buried in a cemetery in Peabody.
