Allen Cochran, 49, failed to return for the verdict after sitting through the one-day trial that exonerated him, The Virginian-Pilot reports.

He was not present to hear Circuit Judge Everett Martin deliver the ‘not guilty’ verdict and has yet to be tracked down.

Considering the appropriate punishment, jurors decided to impose the maximum five-year sentence on Cochran.

Judge Martin has since issued a warrant for Cochran’s arrest for contempt of court and absconding from his own trial.