MACHIAS, Maine — In the courtroom Friday morning, fourth-grader Keegan Trainor was relieved to learn the jury did not convict him.
Keegan said he was nervous as he sat next to his two defense attorneys, Riley Case and Maxwell Cassidy. All three boys’ feet dangled above the floor as they sat at the defense table.
Keegan, Riley, Maxwell and approximately 40 classmates from Calais Elementary School were part of a mock trial that took place in one of the courtrooms at the Washington County Courthouse in Machias.
To play their roles, the students used a script designed for mock trials that District Court Judge David Mitchell found online. The students who were part of the jury did not see the script ahead of time, according to teacher Brenda Batson.
In his role as defendant, Keegan was accused of stealing a 2015 corvette. He testified he did not steal it but rather accepted a ride from the driver, a man named Rick whom he had never met before. Somewhere on Route 9, Rick announced he had stolen the car and then stopped and got out, tossing the keys to Keegan, he testified. Keegan then drove the car back to Calais intending to return it to the car lot from which it had been stolen.
During cross examination, prosecutor Jona Travis asked Keegan why he did not try to call police after Rick left instead of just driving the car back to Calais.
Keegan said he didn’t have a cellphone.
“I repeatedly asked my parents to buy me [a cellphone] but my parents are always saying I’m old enough to drive so I’m old enough to get a job and pay for one,” Keegan said.
The jury deliberated for a half hour before voting 19-2 for a “not guilty” verdict, meaning the result was a hung jury. In a real court case, the jury would have had more time to deliberate, Mitchell said.
“There’s some juries that take days before they make a decision,” he told the courtroom.
Juror Liberty Hodge was one of those not convinced of Keegan’s innocence.
“I still think Keegan’s guilty,” she said after the trial had concluded. For one thing, Keegan had not noticed any details about Rick’s T-shirt. For another, he admitted he wanted to get into the car.
“It’s really an issue of intent,” Mitchell said. The prosecution had to show beyond a reasonable doubt that Keegan intended to deprive the owner of the car at least for a short time.
This is the third year, Calais fourth-graders have been performing mock trials, said Batson.
“Three years ago, David Mitchell approached me about doing this,” she said. “It’s actually his brainchild, not mine.”
Mitchell, who lives in Calais, said he chose to bring the children to the courthouse in Machias so they could see where real jury trials take place.
The district court in Calais does not have jury boxes or deliberation rooms.
“I think it’s good for them to see the actual courtroom and how it’s set out,” he said. “That’s the stage for a trial.”
He said he would like to do mock trials with any area schools as long as a time for them can be scheduled.
“It’s a way for the court to give back to the local community,” he said.
Last year, the students found the defendant not guilty. The year before, they also had a hung jury, Batson said.
“It was a heated discussion [in the jury deliberation room],” said Ethan Plaut, an assistant district attorney in Washington and Hancock counties, who supervised the jury deliberation and offered some guidance.
Jurors wanted to know which direction the car was traveling when it was stopped and they discussed what the fingerprint evidence did and did not reveal, he said.
Batson said the annual mock trial is a part of the social studies curriculum. During class, the students learn about laws, the legislature and the judicial system.
“We’re doing it so the kids can find out what a trial is like,” she said, adding the students were assigned roles randomly.
Mitchell said he likes doing the mock trial because it exposes students to roles such as that of the prosecutor, defense attorneys, bailiff, clerk and jury.
The students said it was an interesting experience.
“Being in a jury would be extra hard in real life,” Liberty said. “It must be hard to decide.”
Keegan was more concerned with the outcome of this particular trial.
“I still think I’m innocent,” he said.