Deputy Accused Of Sexually Abusing Minors Found Not Guilty On Two Counts, Jury Hung On 20 Counts
A Lincoln County deputy was found not guilty Monday on one count of sexual abuse of a minor and not guilty on one count of furnishing marijuana.
The jury deadlocked on 20 other charges against Kenneth Hatch, 47, of Whitefield, a onetime "Deputy of the Year," the AP reported.
Jurors began deliberating Friday.
Hatch was accused of abusing the girls from 1999 to 2014. Prosecutors said the abuse of one of the victims began when she was just 6 years old. The other girls were 14 or 15.
Hatch has denied the charges and has been on unpaid leave from his job at the sheriff's office.