A prosecutor in the Upstate's 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office has been fired after improper contact with a juror. The Post And Courier is reporting that Solicitor Walt Wilkins has terminated veteran prosecutor Jeff Phillips, after learning of contact between Phillips and a juror that has not been named.
The announcement of the termination was made Monday. Phillips admitted to the Post and Courier that he made a mistake in engaging in contact with the juror, but said the punishment is "inhumane". Phillips was not prosecuting this particular case, as he's been out recovering from a recent stroke.
Wilkins did not go into detail on the messages, but said he did not believe they were an effort to sway the juror, who was replaced after the messages were discovered. Phillips says, he considered the conversation to be harmless.
Wilkins says, while the messages were initiated by the juror, Phillips should have told the jury member that he couldn't engage in such communication and any veteran prosecutor would know that was the case.
