The two Butler County jury commissioners face possible criminal charges for an apparent political statement.

Three county officials and a Connoquenessing Township resident who publicly supported the abolishment of jury commissioner posts received jury candidate questionnaires in October.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier and Mark Krenitsky subsequently received summons for jury duty this coming Friday.

“I did receive notice to report Friday,” McCarrier said in an interview.

Both men were excused from service.

“It was rescinded,” McCarrier said.

McCarrier confirmed his summons was related to a Nov. 22 court order from county President Judge Thomas Doerr that cites a state attorney general’s office investigation as the rationale behind the removal of the two jury commissioners from the jury selection process.

“It’s all part of the same thing,” McCarrier said.

The attorney general’s office would not confirm or deny an investigation is under way.

McCarrier declined to comment on the motivation for the alleged selection of four specific individuals to receive the questionnaires, which are supposed to be sent randomly to candidates.

McCarrier was one of two commissioners who voted in May to abolish the jury commissioner posts effective at the end of the year, citing cost savings.

The salaries and benefits of the posts are budgeted at roughly $71,000 for this year.

Jury commissioners Jon Galante and Clinton Bonetti argued against the removal of their part-time jobs, citing the potential tainting of jury pools without independent elected officials overseeing the process.

County court administration committed to absorbing the duties of the jury commissioners if the county commissioners opted to cut the posts.

Galante did not respond to a message left on his cell phone. Bonetti could not be reached for comment.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton also said he couldn’t comment on why he and the other men received the questionnaires.

He did say the day after receiving the questionnaire, he told McCarrier about it occurring multiple times in the last few years.

“He (McCarrier) said I got one, too,” Pinkerton said.

County solicitor Mike English, the fourth person to receive a questionnaire, declined to comment.

Krenitsky spoke about his jury summons during the public comment portion of the commissioners meeting Wednesday.

He said after the meeting he didn’t appreciate having his name used in an apparent political maneuver.

“I thought it was pretty childish,” Krenitsky said.

Under the court order, the jury commissioners were denied access to the county computer system, locked out of their office and lost automatic entry to the government center and courthouse via swipe cards.

While the order allows either jury commissioner to petition the court for an immediate hearing on the matter, neither man had done so as of this morning.

Although Galante and Bonetti are no longer part of the jury selection process, they continue to hold the titles, receiving pay and benefits through Jan. 6.

A forthcoming court order would appoint two county residents — a Democrat and a Republican to match Galante’s and Bonetti’s respective party affiliations — to provide independent oversight of the process until court administration staff could assume the duties in January.

The court order cited a provision under state law stipulating suitable people be appointed to replace a jury commissioner when unable to discharge his or her duties.

Tom Holman, deputy court administrator, deferred commenting on the situation.

“The court cannot comment on what may or may not be a pending investigation,” Holman said.