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BREAKING NEWS — MISTRIAL DECLARED IN GATLIN CASE

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 11:29 AM CST

Citing an insufficient number of jurors, Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr., on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the case of a former teacher in the Watson Chapel School District accused of touching female students inappropriately.

Robert Michael Gatlin, 45, of Rison, had been scheduled for trial on six counts of second-degree sexual assault and had pleaded innocent.

The mistrial came after almost half of the potential jury panel had been eliminated after they said they had heard or read about the case, or knew one or more of the alleged victims.

The allegations involved both the spring and fall 2008 semesters, and Gatlin was suspended, then fired from the Watson Chapel School District after his arrest in May.

Prosecutors plan to retry the case in January.

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