What was supposed to be a hearing on Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon’s motion for a mistrial may be turning into courtroom-steps negotiations for a plea deal, designed to save Dixon’s $80,000 pension.

The press, the prosecutors and the defense team were all back at the courthouse this morning, as were five of the jurors. Juror misconduct was one of the arguments Dixon’s lawyers were going to mount as they argued that her conviction for embezzlement should be thrown out and a new trial ordered. The jurors were going to be questioned about their use of Facebook to communicate with each other during the trial and their failure to report prior criminal charges and contact with the defendant.

But instead, the courtroom audience sat for hours, waiting for something to happen while the lawyers and, at times Dixon, were out of the room.

According to WBAL-TV, what they were doing is discussing a plea deal which would allow Dixon to resign before sentencing took place on the embezzlement charge. All very speculative, at this point…stay tuned. . . .