MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (Metro) -- A man who was convicted in 2004 of sexually molesting a five-year-old girl is free pending retrial.
The Washington State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Patrick L. Morris, saying his right to a public trial was violated because the jury selection interviews were conducted privately and not in his presence.
Morris has served eight-and-a-half years of his sentence and has three-and-a-half remaining.
Judge Susan Cook is allowing Morris to live in his hometown of Anacortes until his new trial begins April 1, but he's prohibited from having contact with any minor females.
