Kid Rock Entertains Court, Dismissed From Jury Duty

Kid Rock, going by his legal name Robert James Ritchie, reported for jury duty at Oakland County Circuit Court along with the rest of the 160 potential jurors ordered to report, according to Detroit Free Press. Kid Rock, labeled juror number 335, participated in the examination designed to determine which potential jurors could perform their duties in an impartial manner.

It’s reported that Kid Rock was charming throughout the examination, giving the other participants cause to laugh throughout the proceeding, during which Kid Rock testified that he had several friends in law enforcement throughout the country. Kid Rock said that he would give the police “the benefit of the doubt,” if he were asked to serve.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Martha Anderson then asked Kid Rock if he had ever been the victim of a crime.

Kid Rock replied that he’d been the defendant in several lawsuits.

“I don’t know if you call that a crime, but it seems pretty criminal to me.”

Later, Kid Rock revealed that he knew prosecutor Jeff Hall, through a previous criminal matter. Hall had prosecuted a man who had ran through Kid Rock’s security gate and had attempted to break into the rock star’s home.

“Jeff prosecuted him successfully,” Kid Rock told the packed courtroom, which then erupted into laughter. “So thank you, Jeff!”

Judge Anderson dismissed Kid Rock from jury duty, citing his close ties to the prosecutor, as well as to the law enforcement community in general, as reasons for the dismissal. Kid Rock was escorted from the courtroom without further comment.

Upon arriving at the courthouse early in the morning, Kid Rock was given an escort to the courtroom by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies and quietly read a paperback to avoid attracting attention, reports Wood TV. Kid Rock was joined by two elderly women, possible jurors, but neither of the women made any indication that they were aware of the rock star’s identity.

Previously, Kid Rock explained why he doesn’t voice his own opinion about political issues.

“I do not believe that artists or actors and people should be out there like voicing their full-blown opinions on politics because, let’s face it, at the end of the day, I’m not that smart of a guy. I play Rock ‘n’ Roll, that’s what I do. Who would you trust to make your decisions, Donald Rumsfeld or the Dixie Chicks?”

Recently, Kid Rock hosted a week-long tribute on Country Music Television, which temporarily renamed itself Cash Music Television for the event. The week-long event began on September 8 with an airing of the Oscar-winning biopic Walk the Line and concluded on the following Saturday with Johnny Cash: American Rebel, a new documentary about Johnny Cash’s life. Kid Rock has been a long-time fan of Cash.

[Featured image: Kid Rock courtesy of Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation]