Mistrial declared after ride-hailing driver accused of sexually assaulting teen falls ill
Ismael Gaspar
Trial proceedings for a ride-hailing driver accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a Palm Desert resort were abruptly stopped -- and a mistrial declared -- because the defendant fell ill, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office reported today.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Albert J. Wojcik declared the mistrial on the second day of jury selection for the trial of Ismael Gaspar of Cathedral City at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Gaspar, who remains free on $55,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court at the Larson Justice Center in Indio on April 1, where a new trial date could be set.