A mistrial has been declared in the latest court action involving former Vermont state Sen. Norm McAllister. That decision Friday morning came after a deliberating juror in the case revealed he had heard a news report before the trial which included information that was not presented in court.
McAllister faced a trial over a misdemeanor count of prohibited acts. He was accused of allegedly arranging for a tenant to have sex with an acquaintance in order to pay her electric bill.
McAllister was previously convicted on a prostitution charge in 2017, but the Vermont Supreme Court ordered a retrial last November. Those proceedings began Thursday.
VPR's Henry Epp spoke to Alan Keays of VTDigger, who's followed this case. Listen above for their conversation from Friday afternoon about the trial, and you can read Keays' coverage of Friday's decision here.
This was the third trial McAllister has faced since he was arrested in 2015 outside the Vermont Statehouse. At the time McAllister was still a sitting Franklin County senator, but was then suspended from the Vermont Senate. He later lost a re-election bid in 2016.
According to Keays, the prosecution now has 45 days to determine if they want to refile the charge and pursue a new trial. However, Keays said the prosecution would not comment Friday as to those plans.
