Catholic Worker trial hangs jury.

DES MOINES, IOWA * A trial of three Catholic Workers, who were charged with misdemeanor trespass after they blocked the entrance to the Iowa National Guard Drone Command Center in Des Moines Dec. 28, 2017, resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury.

The action came at the end of Dec. 27-28, 2017, Faith and Resistance Retreat in honor of the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which commemorates the children whom King Herod ordered killed in his attempt to destroy the infant Jesus. The three defendants had compared Herod's action to the U.S. use of drones.

Polk District County Judge Samantha Gronewald declared the mistrial April 17 after jurors informed the court they had been deadlocked five to one three times during deliberation after the trial of Ed Bloomer, Greg Boertje-Obed and Brian Hynes.

Gronewald's decision to declare a mistrial was surprising and "a hopeful sign that, if given a chance to hear the truths of our peace message, a lone citizen on a six-person jury can make a difference," Des Moines Catholic Worker Frank Cordaro wrote in an April 17 email update.

Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.