Jury deadlocks in lewd conduct case

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County jury was unable on Friday to reach a unanimous verdict in a lewd conduct case against a Sandpoint man.

The jury deliberated for about two and half hours before signaling that the panel had reached an impasse in the case against Andrew Jesse Owens, 1st District Court records show.

Owens, 28, was accused of touching the genitals of a 7-year-old girl in Ponderay in November 2018. The case was investigated by the Ponderay Police Department and the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare.

Owens pleaded not guilty to the felony offense, setting the stage for a two-day jury trial.

Jurors heard testimony from the alleged victim, her mother and Ponderay Sgt. Mike Victorino. They also saw video footage of a forensic interview against objections from the defense, court records indicate.

Owens was originally charged with sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl, but a Bonner County Magistrate Court judge ruled their was insufficient evidence to sustain the charge, according to court documents.

It was not immediately clear on Monday if the state would move to retry the case.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.