State Prosecutors Announce Plans To Retry Westmoreland Co. Sheriff
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GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - State prosecutors say they will retry a western Pennsylvania sheriff whose first corruption trial ended in a mistrial after jurors announced a conviction but one member of the panel changed his mind during the proceedings.
Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held was charged with two counts of theft and one count of conflict of interest, accused of forcing staff members to perform duties for his re-election campaign.
Jurors last week deliberated for several hours and announced a verdict. The judge read the guilty verdict in court and began to poll members of the panel one by one, but Juror No. 6 said he didn't agree after all.
The attorney general's office Monday announced plans to retry Held, who has denied the charges and maintains that they come from disgruntled former employees.
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