Idaho jury confirms Deeg's innocence

After nearly nine nightmarish months, an Idaho jury has found Martin Deeg innocent of aggravated assault. Thursday, Mar. 1, the jury took just 15 minutes to render a verdict of not guilty following the two-day court proceeding. Arrested in June of 2011, Deeg, of Ritzville, was charged with a felony following a neighborhood dispute in the Hayden Lake area of Kootenani County. At the time, Deeg was a candidate for mayor in Ritzville. He withdrew from the election a short time after the Idaho incident.

The case has been scheduled several times for trial, but continuances prolonged the process. Attorney Scot Nass, from the firm Paine Hamblen, represented Deeg. He said his office used the extra time to conduct a proper investigation.

“We tried to convince them it was not in the state’s best interest to go through with the trial,” he said.

Nass said the defense conducted a thorough investigation where the sheriff’s office and the prosecutor did not.

“We showed the jury the physical scene in terms of drawings,” Nass said. “We called two of the eyewitnesses, Martin Deeg and Karin Kay. Law enforcement chose not to interview Karin Kay or do any forensic investigation. We were able to do the investigation and once the jury heard testimony and exhibits it was pretty clear the case never should have been filed and surely never should have seen the light of the courtroom.”

Deeg’s accuser did not testify during the trial.