“What happens next? The state of Ohio can, and will, retry these defendants. Justice needs to be done,” Yost said in a video statement on Tuesday.
AKRON, Ohio — Less than one hour after a jury announced they were deadlocked in the bribery trial of former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling in connection with the House Bill 6 scandal, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued a video statement vowing to retry the defendants.
“So we have a hung jury. That means they deliberated for a long time and couldn’t get to a verdict that they all agreed on,” Yost said in his statement, which you can watch in full below. “That means somebody didn’t think they were guilty and some people thought they were beyond a reasonable doubt. What happens next? The state of Ohio can, and will, retry these defendants. Justice needs to be done.”
After thanking Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich and members of his own staff, Yost then thanked the jury for their work.
“This was a massive, long deliberation,” Yost said. “On behalf of the people of Ohio, I appreciate the fact that they took two months out of their life to consider this case. I’m very grateful for their service.”
Jones and Dowling faced multiple charges in the case, including bribery, conspiracy, aggravated theft and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, for allegedly arranging a $4.3 million payment to state regulators in exchange for a nuclear bailout.
Dowling’s defense team released the following statement: “We appreciate the jury’s attention to the evidence and their service in this case,” said John McCaffrey of Tucker Ellis LLP. “We will be filing a motion for judgment of acquittal, and we will continue in our defense of Mr. Dowling.”
The defense has now asked the court to formally declare a mistrial. The judge, however, said she would refrain from making a ruling for now and put a pause on any pending motions until she can review the case in its entirety.