Third trial looming for Jacquot

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County attorney is slated to be retried a third time in San Diego on allegations that he carried on a sexual relationship with an underage girl.

David Charles Jacquot’s retrial in U.S. District Court is planned for April 10. He is charged with three counts of transporting a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

A mistrial was declared in January after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. The same thing happened when Jacquot was first tried last October.

Jacquot, 49, is accused of taking the girl to San Diego on several occasions in 2006 and having sex with her. The girl was between the ages of 15 and 16 at the time, according to charging documents.

A federal grand jury indicted Jacquot in 2010, a few months Jacquot’s home in Vay was gutted by a mysterious fire. Jacquot’s wife and son were in the home when the fire broke out, but managed to escape. Jacquot was found crawling in a field, unable to speak, according to court documents.

The fire occurred shortly after the alleged victim disclosed that she had been molested by Jacquot.

Jacquot’s defense counsel has characterized the allegations against his client as a whole-cloth fabrication and has been vigorously trying to secure Jacquot’s pretrial release. Michael Crowley contends his client has demonstrated he is not a flight risk and has spent 540 days in custody, an excessively prolonged pretrial detention.

“The consequences of fleeing are incalculable to him given what it would do to his family and his life. These are conditions that assure his appearance at trial,” Crowley said in a Feb. 3 motion.

Federal prosecutors opposed Jacquot’s pretrial release. They contend Jacquot perjured his way through the first two trials and could face additional charges.

“Given the Government now has more evidence that Defendant is not truthful, the chances of 12 jurors finding him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt are even greater which gives him even more incentive to flee should he be released on bond,” U.S. Attorney Cindy Cipriani said in a response to the defense motion.

U.S. District Judge William Hayes ruled on Tuesday that Jacquot’s continued detention is justified, court documents indicate.