Jury deadlocks in felony assault case against former Sonoma County deputy

A Sonoma County jury failed to reach a verdict in the case against a former deputy who kicked in a Sonoma Valley man’s bedroom door and shot him with a Taser.|

A Sonoma County jury failed to reach a verdict in the felony assault case against a former deputy who kicked in a Sonoma Valley man’s bedroom door and shot him with a Taser, actions caught on body-camera video that led to the deputy’s firing.

Eight jurors felt strongly that no further review of evidence or clarifications about police training could change their decision that Scott Thorne was not guilty of assaulting the resident, and four jurors were equally unmoving in their belief the deputy was guilty of felony assault, the jury foreperson announced in court Monday.

They deadlocked after only about three hours of deliberations that began Thursday and continued Monday morning.

“Not a single one of us felt that even with clarification would we change our decision,” the foreperson said.

Judge Shelly Averill declared a mistrial and the parties will return to court next Monday. Outside the courtroom, prosecutor Bob Waner declined to comment on whether he would pursue another trial.

Jurors had watched the video of the violent Sept. 24, 2016, encounter between Thorne and Fernando Del Valle, who was lying in bed at his Sonoma Valley home when deputies arrived. They went to the home after a neighbor called 911 reporting a possible domestic disturbance.

Thorne’s attorney Chris Andrian said he was not surprised by the split verdict because of how polarizing law enforcement and excessive-force issues are in the community.

“I think this shows people realize that officers have to handle split-second decisions,” Andrian said.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.