Bristow, Okla. – Serving on the jury in an indecent-exposure trial unfolding in this conservative town has been a giggle-inducing experience.
Former Judge Donald D. Thomp son, a veteran of 23 years on the bench, is on trial on charges he used a penis pump on himself in the courtroom while presiding over a trial.
Over the past few days, jurors have watched a defense attorney and a prosecutor pantomime masturbation. A doctor has lectured on the lengths the defendant was willing to go to enhance his sexual performance.
The white-handled sexual device sits before the jury box for hours at a time. Occasionally an attorney picks it up and squeezes the handle, demonstrating the “sh-sh” sound of air rushing through the contraption’s plastic tubing. The jurors sometimes exchange awkward looks and break into nervous laughter when the testimony takes a lurid turn.
Thompson, 59, is charged with four counts of indecent exposure, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. If convicted, he would also have to register as a sex offender, and his $7,489.91- a-month pension would be in jeopardy.
Thompson’s former court reporter, Lisa Foster, wiped away tears as she described tracing an unfamiliar “sh-sh” in the courtroom to her boss. She testified that between 2001 and 2003 she saw Thompson expose himself at least 15 times.
The allegations came to light after a police officer who was in Thompson’s court heard pumping sounds and took photos of the device during a break in the proceedings.
Thompson took the stand in his own defense, saying the device was a gag gift from a longtime friend with whom he had joked about erectile dysfunction. He said he kept the pump under the bench or in his office but didn’t use it.
“In 20-20 hindsight, I should have thrown it away,” he said.
“It sounded like a penis pump to me,” testified Daniel Greenwood, who once was a juror in Thompson’s court. He said he had seen such devices in “Austin Powers” and “Dead Man on Campus.”
