FARGO (KFGO-AM) - A longtime Fargo criminal defense attorney says the legal issues are complex surrounding the latest developments in the Aaron Knodel sexual misconduct trial. The West Fargo High School teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student in 2009.
Jury deliberations came to a halt after a juror became disoriented and was taken to the hospital. She was the only juror who wanted to convict Knodel. It was later learned that she didn't answer a question truthfully when she didn't disclose that she had been the victim of sexual abuse.
Bruce Quick of the Vogel Law Firm says the issue is not whether there's been a mistrial. “A mistrial has, in effect, been done; de facto” Quick said. “What we’re really talking about; can there be a retrial, or should there be a retrial? And then the other issue is, would it be on all five charges, or on the three (charges) the jury supposedly agreed on? The defense has an excellent argument that those are all acquittals.”
Quick is also a former prosecutor who believes the entire case against Knodel should be dismissed. “They picked a competent juror, apparently with one exception—apparently some bias that wasn’t disclosed. They heard the evidence over multiple days, decisions were made in some of the cases, but not quite all. I think in the interest of fairness, this case should be over.”