Mistrial declared in pastor's rape trial

SANDUSKY — The trial for a pastor accused of sex crimes has been called off, for now.Richard Mick, 58, who previously served as pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Sandusky, was on trial in Erie County common pleas court, under Judge Tygh Tone, on 12 felony sex charges involving three child victims who were a part of his congregation.On Thursday, following two full days of testimony, including from all three victims, the trial came to an abrupt halt.Defense attorney Meredith O'Brien made a mistrial motion in the morning after speaking to a Sandusky police detective who was about to be called as a defense witness. The detective provided the defense copies of police reports related to the investigation.Included in those reports was a March 2019 Sandusky report detailing the detective's interview with a relative of one victim, who already testified. That report was not given to defense attorneys by the prosecution during the evidence discovery process, O'Brien said.During the interview, the relative provided information that was apparently inconsistent with the victim's testimony in the trial. Tone said he also read the report, and said it details "more serious accusations than what the defendant was charged with." Mick was indicted across two cases, merged into one for trial, in 2014 and 2016. O'Brien argued that if the defense had that police report prior to the trial, it would have changed their entire strategy."Every witness would have been questioned differently," O'Brien said. "This entire trial is now infected."Assistant Erie County prosecutor Paulette Lilly did not deny that the report wasn't provided to the defense but argued the report shouldn't be grounds for a mistrial as the allegations of one victim don't affect those of the other two victims."The report is not an interview with a victim," she said. "It's the recollection of (the relative's) conversation with (the victim) three years earlier. It's not a statement of (the victim's.)"After hearing arguments from both sides, Tone decided that the incident hurt Mick's right to due process and ruled a mistrial. He said they will eventually set a pretrial hearing to discuss details of the new trial.Third trialThe new trial will be the third time Mick has been on trial for the same sexual assault allegations. In 2016, he went to trial on four felony sex charges — involving the two of the same victims in the current trial.In the first trial in Erie County common pleas court, Mick's attorney K. Ronald Bailey, who also represented him in the trial this month, refused to participate in trial proceedings, citing grievances with the decisions of the trial judge, Roger Binette. Bailey presented no evidence on his client's behalf, a jury found Mick guilty and Binette later sentenced him to life in prison.Mick appealed his conviction and an Ohio appeals court ruled in his favor, granting him a new trial.Mick has been out of the Erie County jail on bond since March 25.Visit our Erie County Common Pleas court hub for more storiesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterRichard Mick, left, speaks with his attorney Meredith O'Brien, right, during his trial Tuesday, July 23, in Erie County common pleas court. (From left to right) Defense attorneys Meredith O'Brien and K. Ronald Bailey and prosecutors Paulette Lilly and Jeanne Lippert question witnesses in Erie County common pleas court Wednesday, July 24, in the trial for pastor Richard Mick, 58.