§12-16-82. Effect of failure of person summoned as juror to obey summons.

If any person summoned as a grand or petit juror shall fail to obey such summons without good excuse, to be determined by the court, he or she shall be deemed guilty of a contempt of court; and, if no sufficient excuse is rendered for him or her at the time of his or her default, an order shall be entered for him or her to show cause why he or she shall not be adjudged guilty of contempt and punished accordingly; and, if he or she shall fail at the next session after the service of such notice to render such excuse, he or she shall be fined by the court not more than three hundred dollars ($300) and may be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than 10 days. In courts holding sessions longer than 30 days, the order shall be made returnable 20 days after it issues, and the person in default shall have 10 days after service in which to appear and render his or her excuse.

(Code 1896, §5046; Code 1907, §7307; Code 1923, §8689; Code 1940, T. 30, §47; Act 2005-311, 1st Sp. Sess., §1.)