Mistrial Declared in Sex Assault Case of Former Pastor

Associated Press
May 8, 2018

https://apnews.com/ee573a94cb8145898ff91f3de525e3ea/Mistrial-declared-in-sex-assault-case-of-former-pastor

A mistrial has been declared in the sexual assault trial of a former New Jersey church pastor who is already serving prison terms for assault and bail jumping.

NJ.com reports that Hudson County jurors reported a deadlock Friday and were asked to keep deliberating, but told the judge Tuesday they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.

Prosecutors said they would retry 50-year-old Gregorio Martinez, who is accused of assaulting an 18-year-old man. Defense attorney Daniel Gonzalez argued that no evidence corroborated the allegations.

Martinez, a native of the Dominican Republic and a former Pentecostal preacher, was convicted in February 2015 of molesting a 13-year-old boy. He fled, was apprehended in Honduras in August 2016, and then sentenced to five years for jumping bail and four years for the assault.