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Supporters: McGee Arrested While In Jail

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Supporters: McGee Arrested While In Jail

By Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – Alderman Michael McGee will go on trial in December, according to a judge ruling. The judge says McGee will have a single trial on all charges, but two separate juries will rule on them. McGee is accused in one state case of conspiring with others to have a man beaten. Another case accuses him of running a $5 per person vote buying operation. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Dennis P. Moroney expects to summon 100 potential jurors for each of the two juries. When the jurors are selected, each jury will hear opening statements about its set of charges. Then, the jury for the first case will hear testimony and while they are deliberating, the second jury will hear testimony for its case. McGee will be tried with Little Al Stewart and Dimitrius Jackson in the beating conspiracy case and will be tried alone in the vote buying case. Two other defendants in the vote buying case, Garrett Huff and Khadijah Anwar will go to trial in March without McGee. McGee also faces federal charges of shaking down business owners in his district. McGee's supporters plan to file an official complaint with the Department of Justice. They say McGee has been treated unfairly since his arrest in May, and has been treated differently than other Milwaukee aldermen who have been charged with crimes. They won't say when they plan to file the complaint, but do say it will happen soon. The group of supporters also say they are upset with an incident that happened on Friday at the Waukesha County Jail, where McGee is being held. They say McGee was handcuffed and re-arrested for allegedly smoking pot in jail, when no marijuana was found. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department said a jail employee smelled what he thought was marijuana and drug dogs were brought in to search the area. The dogs got hits on several cells including McGee's, so McGee was interviewed. They say he was not arrested. No marijuana was found and no charges were filed. The sheriff's department says it is standard procedure to handcuff inmates during questioning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.