SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) -- The jury will start over with deliberations in the Aaron Thomas trial after a juror was dismissed Wednesday for having a "potential conflict of interest."
The dismissal spurred the court to recall an alternate juror who's been on standby in the event there are any issues with the 12-member jury. The court didn't explain the potential conflict of interest.
Because the alternate juror wasn't with the full panel when deliberations initially started around midday Tuesday, the group had to start over with their discussions.
Deliberations restarted at about 12:30 p.m. No decision was made by the time court recessed for the day.
The jury now has no more alternates on standby, as one of the jurors was dismissed for personal reasons at the beginning of the trial.
Thomas, who coached high school basketball at North Kingstown High School for nearly 30 years, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree child molestation and second-degree sexual assault. His trial began with witness testimony on April 7, and closing arguments ended Tuesday.
Deliberations were scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.
Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
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