Mistrial declared in sex assault case of former pastor

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – 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. Defence 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.

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Information from: NJ.com, http://www.nj.com