The Region : Mistrial Declared in Molestation Case

A retired Los Angeles police lieutenant was acquitted on one count of molesting his 9-year-old son, but the jury deadlocked on three other counts and a mistrial was declared. Waid Woodruff, 48, of Manhattan Beach was originally charged with seven counts of sexually abusing his son, now 11, between December, 1983, and September, 1984, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike Barton. The charges included two counts of sodomy, one count of forced penetration, two counts of oral copulation and two counts of lewd conduct, Barton said. Three of the charges were dismissed due to a lack of evidence, and the jury found Woodruff innocent on a single count of forced penetration. Woodruff’s attorney, Roger Potash, said the jury’s findings showed that there are problems with the evidence. Superior Court Commissioner Sam Bubrick, who declared the mistrial, scheduled a conference March 17 at which time Barton will announce if the district attorney will retry Woodruff on the deadlocked charges.