Tulsa County District Court judge declares mistrial in man's case

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A Tulsa County judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a man already facing more than 500 years in prison. <br><br>Just before jurors were to begin deliberations last Thursday,

Tuesday, April 16th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A Tulsa County judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a man already facing more than 500 years in prison.

Just before jurors were to begin deliberations last Thursday, District Judge Jesse Harris recessed the trial of Jermol Gentry after a juror underwent an emergency appendectomy Wednesday night.

Harris declared a mistrial on Monday after learning the juror would not be able to return to court to deliberate soon. An alternate juror already had been called to serve.

Gentry, 25, is accused of molesting and sodomizing a teen-age boy in February 2000.

A jury in February convicted Gentry of 10 felony counts involving another boy after hearing testimony that Gentry had mixed training for the end of the world with sexuality tests and ``anal consequences.''

That panel sentenced Gentry to 200 years on each of two counts of first-degree rape and 20 years on each of eight counts of lewd molestation for a total of 560. The victim accused Gentry of having sexual contact with him on multiple occasions at two Tulsa apartments.

Genty last week rejected a plea agreement calling for a 20-year term in the two-count case that would run concurrently with the 10-count case.

A new trial has been scheduled for June 3.