The jury was still out Tuesday evening in the trial of four St. Croix police officers accused of violating the civil rights of more than a dozen residents and visitors over a span of four years.
The jury of 10 women and two men deliberated from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in District Court on St. Croix, but a verdict wasn’t reached. Jurors will reconvene Wednesday at 9 a.m.
The panel must find beyond a reasonable doubt that officers Ronald Pickard, Dean Bates, Renaldo Philbert and Victor Suarez are guilty of 32 counts of intimidation, physical assault, harassment and arresting persons without just cause in incidents allegedly occurring between Jan. 1, 1995 and Oct. 31, 1999.
Counts against Pickard and Bates include the alleged rape of an adult nightclub dancer on May 10, 1999. Of the 32 counts, Pickard is named in 23; Bates in 10; Suarez in six and Philbert in three.
