Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus made the decision after a member of the jury handed out three documents to fellow jurors including North Carolina case law, according to the AP.
Gavenus told Perry Shade Jr, 71, that he was "in direct criminal contempt" and sentenced him to 30 days in jail. He was also ordered to pay a $500 fine.
Brooke Covington 58, a minister at Word of Faith Fellowship in Spindale, North Carolina, pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and assaulting former church member Matthew Fenner in January 2013. If convicted, she faces up to two years in prison.
Fenner, 23, says he was leaving a prayer service when he was surrounded by a group of people in the sanctuary that slapped, punched, choked and screamed at him for two hours.
Covington, whose trial began 30th May, was the first of five church members to face trial in the case, with each defendant being tried separately.
Responding to the judge's decision, Fenner's aunt Linda Reider said her nephew is hurt and disappointed.
"He's disgusted at the jury. It took a lot of courage for him to come forward in the first place. There were so many roadblocks put in place.
"But his family and friends will stick behind him. We won't give up."
A new trial date is yet to be confirmed.
