Police Looking for Suspect Find Their Man: He’s on Jury

Police didn’t have to look far to find one suspect after he was indicted by a grand jury on drug charges.

When the name Gene Robinson was presented last week to the Rhea County Grand Jury as that of a drug dealer, one of the jurors raised his hand and said, “That’s me,” according to authorities.

Robinson, 24, was abruptly excused from the panel, replaced by an alternate, indicted by his former fellow jurors, then arrested at his home.

Robinson, released after posting $1,750 bond on charges of selling a controlled substance, called the indictment a mistake.

“It’s a little misunderstanding,” he said. “It surprised me. It kind of threw them for a flip, too.”

Robinson already had voted “yes” on 20 of 64 separate drug indictments handed down by the grand jury when his name came up.

Authorities had not realized he was on the jury because he had signed in using his first name, Olin, rather than his middle name, Eugene.