Mistrial Declared for Abilene 'Drill Instructor' Accused of Child Sex Crimes

ABILENE, TX-- A jury could not come to a verdict Wednesday in the trial of an Abilene "drill instructor" accused of child sex crimes, leading a judge to declare a mistrial, KTXS reports.

Emory Dale Phillips, 31, acted as an instructor at a behavioral boot camp in Abilene where he allegedly sexually abused three minors.

The trial went to the jury on Wednesday and they deliberated for nearly six hours without finding a verdict. The judge declared a mistrial at 10:00 p.m.

The case will now be scheduled for a retrial.

Court documents obtained by KTXS say one of the victims told their parents of the October 2013 abuse in July of 2017. The victim was "eight or nine years old" at the time of the incident.

The documents say Phillips told the victim to pull down her underwear after he "cornered her in her room." Phillips then allegedly touched her "no-no spot."

Phillips was arrested last December before being indicted in March of 2018.

He remains in the Taylor County Jail on $240,000 bond.