Ex-officer’s trial in alleged assault case ends in mistrial

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A mistrial has been declared in the trial of a former police officer who allegedly punched a man outside a downtown St. Louis bar.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (https://bit.ly/2cCUMJT ) reports jurors deadlocked Wednesday on the misdemeanor assault case against 36-year-old Steven Blakeney.

It wasn’t clear if prosecutors planned to seek a retrial.

Prosecutors say Blakeney was off-duty as a Pine Lawn officer when he beckoned three women to his unmarked police car early Sept. 4, 2014, saying they were too drunk to drive. A friend of the women told jurors he confronted Blakeney and was punched in the mouth - something Blakeney denies.

Blakeney has since been fired. He faces federal prison time in an unrelated conspiracy case, and allegations that he drugged and abducted two women.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, https://www.stltoday.com