A Jasper County judge was forced to declare a mistrial Thursday in the statutory rape case of a former high-school basketball coach.
Joshua J. Long, 31, of rural Oronogo, was scheduled to go to trial Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court in Joplin on three counts of second-degree statutory rape.
Circuit Judge David Dally was forced to declare a mistrial when a combination of things left too few jurors to hear the case.
Officials said some potential jurors had not shown up, some jury candidates had been excused and still other candidates had been rejected by attorneys.
Dally sent the remaining potential jurors home and rescheduled the trial for Sept. 29.
Long, who was hired in 2008 to be the girls basketball coach at East Newton High School in Granby, is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl on three occasions in 2008. Long was forced to resign from the East Newton coaching position when the charges were filed against him in August of last year.
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<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/courts.gif " border=0> Lack of jurors prompts judge to delay trial
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