Deadlocked jury forces second mistrial

Posted

GONZALES — The trial for Antonio Buehler, the Austin man charged with disorderly conduct stemming from an incident in March 2013, was declared a mistrial during Friday’s proceedings before County Judge David Bird.

This is the second time in four months a mistrial has been declared— this time as the result of a hung jury.

The six-to-six tie came after two hours’ deliberation, County Attorney Paul Watkins said.

On March 13, 2013, Buehler, who allegedly cursed at a Gonzales police officer outside City Hall, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. During a jury trial on June 5, 2013, in which Buehler defended himself, the jury found him guilty and assessed a $1 fine. Buehler was awarded a new trial that began on Feb. 23, 2015 in Gonzales County Court.

However, County Judge David Bird declared a mistrial, and a new appeal trial was scheduled for March 30.

When asked if he was going to continue the prosecution, Watkins said he was as of yet unsure.

“I don’t know yet whether we’re going to further pursue the case,” he said. “We have another trial starting up [Monday], and it’ll probably take a couple of weeks or so to know for sure.”

Comments