Trial in St. Mary's child sex abuse case postponed after two jurors arrested for contempt of court

MORGAN CITY — A child sex abuse trial that began earlier this month in St. Mary Parish has been adjourned until November after three jurors were excluded from the trial and two of them were arrested for contempt of court, Lafayette's KATC reported Monday.

According to KATC, court records show that the two detained jurors in the case of Dong Van Tang, who is accused of multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor, ignored court orders.

Tang's trial began on Aug. 12, but after the first day of testimony — which included a now 8-year-old victim — one juror failed to show up in court and could not be found. That juror was replaced by an alternate juror and the trial continued, KATC reported.

However, after the second day of testimony, the court was told that a second juror may have lied during jury selection. One of the questions potential jurors will be asked is whether they know any of the police officers involved in the case, or whether they know the victim, the victim's family or the defendant, KATC reported.

According to court documents, the juror knew the victim's family. When questioned about this, the juror said she “knew” the victim's family because Morgan City is a small town. KATC reported the juror had attended social events attended by the victim's family, had worked with a family member of the victim, and may have discussed this relationship with another juror.

After the court excluded both jurors, a motion to dismiss was granted and contempt of court hearings for the absent juror and the juror who may have concealed her relationship with the victim were set for Aug. 15, KATC reported.

The juror who failed to appear was sentenced to five days in jail for contempt of court, and the juror who failed to disclose her relationships faces 15 days in jail for contempt of court, KATC reported.