It took jurors under three hours to convict former Vanderbilt University football player Cory Batey of rape, but that verdict came with hefty price tag paid by taxpayers.
To ensure a fair trial Judge Monte Watkins brought in a jury from Chattanooga, and those 14 people had to be sequestered for six nights at a hotel in Nashville
The jurors were housed at the Holiday Inn Express at a discounted rate of $225 per person, per night. Three additional rooms had to be reserved for court staff bringing the total cost of lodging to $22,950.
Each juror also received a $30 stipend, costing taxpayers an estimated $2,100 for the week the trial lasted.
A coach bus was used to transport the jurors from Chattanooga to Nashville and back to Chattanooga once the trial was over, costing an estimated $1,524. Another $4,000 had to be spent to feed the 14 jurors over the course of a week.
In total the retrial of Cory Batey cost taxpayers more than $32,000, a number that will likely double once co-defendant Brandon Vandenburg goes back before a jury in June.
Jury costs for the initial trial of Batey and Vandenburg with a non-sequestered jury was $240.
