Mistrial in Streets Czar Molestation Trial

 A deadlocked jury prompted a judge to declare a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a San Diego city official accused of molesting a young female relative nearly eight years ago.

After a two-week trial and one day of deliberations, jurors weighing the fate of Mario Sierra told Judge Jeffrey Fraser they could not reach a unanimous verdict on the felony count of committing a lewd act on a child.

Two jurors were undecided, three favored guilt and seven voted not guilty on their last ballot today, the foreperson told the judge.

Sierra, 48, will be back in court March 1 for a status conference. In the meantime, prosecutors will decide if they will retry the case.

Sierra was appointed last year to the post of director of San Diego's Transportation and Stormwater Department. He has been placed on unpaid leave from his city job pending the outcome of the criminal case.

Deputy District Attorney Fanny Yu alleged that the defendant molested the girl in 2004, when she was 9 or 10 years old.

The girl, now 18, told her mother about the alleged abuse in 2010 after they watched an Oprah show on the subject of abuse.

A year ago, the girl made a "pretext call" to the defendant in which he admitted the molestation, Yu told the jury.

The girl testified that Sierra put her hand on his private area while they were lying on the couch and watching a television show in which people were having sex.

Defense attorney Thomas Warwick told the jury that there was "no inappropriate touching" of the girl by his client. Warwick said the girl's mother told her family she was molested as a child and constantly told her children to report any sexual abuse right away. Sierra faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

-City News Service