VALPARAISO | A child molestation trial ended Thursday in a hung jury.
The jury split 11-1 in favor of a not guilty verdict for 32-year-old Arthur Gutierrez, according to his defense attorney, Bob Harper.
It is now up to prosecutors to decide whether to retry the Class A felony case.
A young Valparaiso girl, whose age was identified only as being younger than 14, reportedly told police Gutierrez forced her to perform a sexual act and another activity, which led to her throwing up.
The abuse, which reportedly occurred from July 2003 to October 2010, came to light as a result of injuries to the young girl's body, according to police.
Gutierrez denied sexually abusing the girl and suggested the girl saw pornographic images on his computer.
Harper argued at the end of the trial Thursday the girl recanted her accusations during an interview with investigators. He said he played a video of the interview for jurors.
Gutierrez faces a second Class A felony count on allegations of molesting a 4-year-old girl between 2007 and 2010 in her Liberty Township home.
Please Wait…