Priest accused of rape won’t face new trial for now

A Mountain Home, Idaho, priest accused of raping an intoxicated man who was renting a room from him will not face a new trial for now, and the Diocese of Boise says he will not be given any new assignment.

The Idaho Statesman reports that the Rev. Victor Franz Jagerstatter’s trial in 2017 was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. At the time, prosecutors said one juror refused to deliberate the verdict. After the mistrial, the alleged victim was deployed on military duty, and in July 2018, the charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning there won’t be an immediate retrial, but the possibility remains open. A decision on whether Jagerstatter will be disciplined within the Catholic Church has not been made, but the Diocese of Boise sought advice from the Vatican.