Mistrial declared in case of pepper-spray blinding

With jurors unable to reach a unanimous verdict, a mistrial was declared Tuesday in the trial of a former Beaumont policeman who blinded a woman when he fired a pepper-spray gun inches away from her face.

After convening for less than an hour this morning, following four full days of deliberations, the panel weighing the fate of 38-year-old Enoch “Jeremy” Clark informed Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mac Fisher that it could not work though an impasse, with the vote 10-2 in favor of convicting the ex-cop.

Fisher declared the jury hopelessly deadlocked and ended proceedings. The District Attorney’s Office intends to retry the case.