Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters.
From Chelsea Phua:
At the conclusion of a Placer County trial that ended in a hung jury, some lucky jurors received gift cards to Starbucks and Target.
From a small cup, Superior Court Judge Joseph O'Flaherty picked out pieces of paper with names of the few winning jurors, which included foreman Rex Miller.
O'Flaherty joked that he may have to start looking for sponsors to provide the gift cards. Jurors laughed.
This light-hearted turn of events came after about two days of deliberation for jury members, who struggled to determine if an off-duty Sacramento County Sheriff sergeant was guilty of drunken driving.
The sergeant, Christopher D. Guerrero, was pulled over by a Roseville police officer on Douglas Boulevard near Harding Boulevard the early morning of Oct. 4, 2007. He was allowed a ride home without being arrested or cited, even though authorities said he failed his field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit.
The incident ignited public outcry after it was leaked to the media.
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