Sex abuse trial ends in a hung jury

Robert James The Boy Jr. Of Havre walked out of court a free man after a jury in Havre could not reach a verdict on a sex charge, and he was found not guilty of three other charges, one at the direction of the judge. The Boy, born in 1969, was charged Jan. 23, 2009, with sexual intercourse without consent after he was accused of, on several occasions, having sex with a young girl who was visiting her friend, who lived with The Boy. He also was charged with two counts of felony criminal distribution of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor count of criminal endangerment under the accusation he supplied the girls with methamphetamine, marijuana and alcohol. Judge David Rice gave a directed verdict of not guilty on one of the counts of distribution of drugs during the first day of the trial and dismissed that charge. After a two-day trial and five hours and 13 minutes of deliberation, the jury was unable to come to an agreement on the sex charge but had found The Boy not guilty on the other drug distribution charge and on the criminal endangerment charge. Rice declared a mistrial on the sexual intercourse without consent charge, discharged the other two counts and released The Boy. Deputy Hi l l County At torney Lindsay Lorang, who prosecuted the case, said Wednesday she had not yet determined whether The Boy would be Tried again on the sex charge. During the first day of the trial, Rice sent the jury from the courtroom and listened to arguments from Lorang and The Boy's lawyer, Randy Randolph, about giving directed verdicts on the drug distribution charges. Rice sided wi th Randolph on one, dismissing the charge because he found that the jury would be unable to come to any other conclusion based on the facts presented at the trial. Rice denied the motion to give a directed verdict on the other count. The Boy was charged after the alleged victim said he had had sex with her four or five times over a period of several months. She told investigators that she had told him not to on some occasions, but not on others because she was afraid of The Boy. She also told investigators that The Boy would give her and her friend she was visiting the drugs and alcohol. The Boy originally was charged with sexual intercourse without consent, a felony, and one felony count of criminal endangerment and one misdemeanor count of criminal endangerment. Those charges were amended in July to include the sexual intercourse and misdemeanor criminal endangerment charges and the two counts of felony criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.