Potential jurors questioned for trial of ex-commissioner Scott Dean

By Valerie Rowell

Potential jurors are being questioned this morning for inclusion in the trial of former Columbia County Commissioner Scott Dean, accused of molesting his adopted daughter last year.

If a jury is seated from among the 36 potential jurors called, the trial in the case could get under way as early as this afternoon. One juror already has been dismissed after saying he had already formed an opinion in the case and couldn’t be swayed.

Dean, 42, is accused of exposing himself to and inappropriately touching his daughter last year. She is one of five children Dean and his wife adopted in 2008 from Guatemala.

Dean, a former District 4 commissioner, resigned after being indicted on two counts of child molestation in February. He pleaded not guilty.

The case has been listed on Superior Court Judge James G. Blanchard Jr.’s calendar several times but was postponed each time. Prosecutors have said continuances are common in complicated or major cases.