San Diego, CALIFORNIA

ALL CHARGES DROPPED AFTER THREE TRIALS.

Sept 13, 2007 - A California appeals court by a 2-1 decision has reversed the guilty verdict against Thad Jesperson.

The 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego ruled that Jesperson's attorney was ineffective and that misconduct was apparent in the presiding jurors.

Jesperson was accused of molesting eight students during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 school years at the elementary school. He was serving 15 years follow convictions in three separate trials in 2004.

Prosecutors could ask the state Supreme Court to review the decision, or they could put Jesperson on trial a fourth time.

The article does not provide a link, but the decision can be found here. (PDF) for the unpublished opinion.

Dec 4 - The same attorney accused of being ineffective during the trial represented Jesperson today in a bail hearing. The prosecutor indicated that another trial is planned. Bail was set at $100,000. Jesperson's wife hopes to raise the bail so he can be home for the holidays.

ALL CHARGES DROPPED Jan 18, 2008 - Prosecutors dropped the charges against Jesperson. Jurors across three trials struggled with the case. And each trial was tainted by juror misconduct, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

In the first trial, Jesperson was convicted of a single charge of molesting a student, but the jury deadlocked on 12 other counts.

In the second trial, he was convicted of one charge of molesting another student at a second trial but jurors deadlocked or acquitted him on several other charges.

Prosecutors tried him on the deadlocked charges, and in December 2004 convicted him on seven molestation counts, and two months later he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

In September, 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego overturned all of the convictions.

ALL CHARGES DROPPED.