KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal jury will return Thursday to continue deliberating in the case of a former Knox County Criminal Court judge accused of lying to cover up a drug conspiracy.
WBIR-TV (http://on.wbir.com/W7Uqwt ) reports jurors considering the case against Richard Baumgartner deliberated all day Wednesday without reaching a verdict. They got the case Tuesday.
Prosecutors claim Baumgartner lied to protect his drug dealer and mistress.
Baumgartner's defense has argued that the ex-judge was a pill addict and unfaithful husband but his actions weren't a federal crime.
In March 2011, Baumgartner pleaded guilty in state court to official misconduct for buying pills from a felon on probation in his court. He resigned from the bench but did not go to jail or lose his pension.
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Information from: WBIR-TV, http://www.wbir.com/
