Despite no mask mandate on record at a North Carolina courthouse, a potential juror was jailed after he refused to wear a mask in a mask-optional courtroom. .Gregory Hahn — reportedly a Navy veteran who served as a member of the President's Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery — was arrested and held in Harnett County jail for 24 hours on a contempt charge for not donning a mask in Judge Charles Gilchrist's courtroom. .Hahn — at the courthouse to serve for jury duty — told Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Saturday he never thought he would "show up to jury duty and end up behind bars." .Gilchrist, who was first nominated to the bench by former Democratic Gov. Bev Purdue, remanded the prospective juror to jail after he refused the judge's order to put a mask on, even though there is no mask mandate at the Harnett County Courthouse. Masks became optional at the courthouse after N.C. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper lifted the state-wide mandate on May 4. .Hahn said the court clerk told a pool of 98 jurors that day Gilchrist personally requires masks in his courtroom. ."We were in [an assembly room] for about 20 to 30 minutes, shoulder-to-shoulder, with three-quarters of us not wearing masks," he told Carlson.."So the virus — if there was virus out there — contaminated us anyway. So I was called when they called roll call, I made eye contact with the clerk, and she said, ‘I need you to come over here for not wearing the mask.’".Hahn said he was summoned to the judge's bench where he told Gilchrist the mask mandate had been dropped months ago by Cooper. He said Gilchrist informed him if he did not comply, he could face a contempt fine of $500 and be put in jail for up to 30 days. When Hahn refused, the judge ordered him to spend 24 hours behind bars at the county jail. ."It was the worst 24 hours of my life," he said, adding he had a minor child at home whom he was not permitted to call. ."I asked to be excused since I wasn't even selected for jury duty yet; it was still orientation. He could have exempted me.".Instead of being excused, Hahn was put in an orange jumpsuit and initially put in a cell with another inmate until the evening when he was put in a solitary cell until the next afternoon. .In the interview, Carlson told Hahn the judge "sounded like a complete lunatic," and said he hoped the judge would be removed from the bench after the incident. ."You would have been better just selling fentanyl to children, because that's now allowed," Carlson said, adding the judge had likely singled Hahn out due to the current governmental habit of trying to "sort the obedient from the disobedient."."I can tell just by looking at you. You're probably not a Biden voter. And my guess is — I'm just guessing here — my guess is that the judge could feel that, too. Do you think they may have had something to do with it? You're not obedient.".Hahn said he has always taught his kids to "stand up for what you believe in and don't be bullied." .Carlson said he believes it's important for "one brave man to stand up and assert his dignity as a man and refuse to obey, and I am grateful that you did despite the price that you paid."
