It shouldn’t be this hard to seat an impartial drug case jury

"Scumbags."

We may assume, from his outburst Tuesday in U.S. District Judge Philip Pro's courtroom, that the prospective juror who spat that epithet at the defendants was less than impartial. He had just been excused from duty at the time of his taunt.

The juror, whom courtroom observers described as a local man in his 50s, was one of 84 citizens who had assembled early at U.S. District Court to be interviewed by lawyers in the methamphetamine distribution trial of Anthony Eppolito and Guido Bravatti, bit players in the large, multi-agency investigation of retired New York police detectives and reputed "mafia cops" Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa.

For the second straight week, Judge Pro was moved to declare a mistrial. Last time, not enough prospective jurors honored the government's request for their presence. This week, it was the outspoken guy, whose harangue was overheard by many in the courtroom.

That was enough for a mistrial, but the trial will be back on the court's calendar soon.

I turned out early to watch the jury candidates file in and noticed there were almost enough to fill the courtroom.

A federal search warrant executed at the Eppolito residence, which included a going-over of son Anthony's room, turned up no evidence of methamphetamine, defense attorney Richard Schonfeld told the court Tuesday. Whether that observation proves noteworthy or trivial depends on the strength of the government's evidence, which I'm guessing won't hinge on what their investigation didn't uncover.

In the shadows for now is controversial government informant Steve Corso, whose own background figures to be used against him by the defense. The attorneys might be tempted to call the government's undercover star a few names of their own.

All defendants deserve a trial by people who are, if not completely impartial, able to keep their opinions to themselves.

FATHER'S LOVE: If you're a blues music fan, you probably remember Perry Bruno as the drummer of the popular Blues Kings. If you frequent upscale steakhouses, you'll surely remember him as the former manager at the Bellagio's Prime Steakhouse and current one at Becker's fine dining restaurant.

When Bruno called me recently, it wasn't to talk about music or fine dining. It was to talk about his late friend, Walt Rosso, who died of liver failure a year ago on Oct. 31 and left a young son, Dominic, and daughter, Andrea.

"His whole life was devoted to his kids," Bruno says. "I loved him, and I miss him so much because he loved his kids like I love my kids. He lived for them, and it's so sad that he's gone so young."

Gone, but not forgotten.

BUZZ CUT: No one can call Cadwallader Middle School Principal Kathryn Singer a poor sport. Last year, she promised her students she'd buzz her hair if they did well on their proficiency exams. They came through, and today she's making good on her promise.

The hair is coming off, but the underlying theme of character development continues.

ALL SAINTS UPDATE: All Saints Day School, which was set to close under the weight of financial concerns, has been granted an extension and will remain open through the end of the school year. That's good news for students and staff at the diminutive, 34-year-old school affiliated with All Saints Episcopal Church.

ON THE BOULEVARD I: The big-time horse players who were interrupted by law enforcement authorities at the Palms recently are keeping a low profile. So far, law enforcement sources are keeping quiet about their investigation. ... Say it ain't so. Did a county fire inspector really get transferred after he sought to shut down an overcrowded Strip nightclub? I'd like to know more about this one.

BOULEVARD II: Local Leigh Ann Styles is in the Holiday Retirement Corp. Iron Chef Finals in Salem, Ore. ... Author Brad Lewis, who might know more about the late gangster Mickey Cohen than anyone, will sign his biography of Benny Siegel's old pal Oct. 19 at Gambler's Book Club. ... Retired tennis star Andre Agassi continues to rack up the victories where they count most, and this year his 12th annual concert collected $9 million for his charitable foundation. Tuscany Suites & Casino owner Charles Heers pledged $1 million himself.

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