The se*xual assault charges against John Wetteland, a former Yankees relief pitcher, have been dropped after a mistrial resulted from a deadlocked jury.
The Dallas Morning News reports that, according to Denton County court records, the prosecution filed a motion to dismiss the three counts of aggravated se*xual assault of a child on Thursday. The judge agreed to close the case on the same day.
Wetteland was arrested in January 2019 following allegations from a relative, who claimed that Wetteland had coerced him into performing se*xual acts on multiple occasions between 2004 and 2006, starting when the victim was just 4 years old. The alleged abuse was said to have taken place in the master bathroom shower of Wetteland’s home in Bartonville, Texas, about 10 miles south of Denton.
The Dallas Morning News typically refrains from identifying victims of se*xual assault. The trial commenced in August 2022 but ended in a mistrial after the jury was split 10-2. Denton County First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck had previously suggested that the case would continue, but whether it would result in a plea deal or a retrial depended on Wetteland.
Prosecutors finally determined that, based on juror feedback, a conviction was “unlikely.” Wetteland, now 56, played for the Dodgers, Expos, Yankees, and Rangers during his career. He achieved 74 saves with the Yankees over two seasons in 1995 and 1996, clinching a World Series title and earning World Series MVP honors in 1996.