ELKHART — A mistrial has been declared in the case of a woman charged in the death of a toddler.
Jackie Rolston was on trial in connection with the death of 19-month-old Kirk Coleman.
Coleman died of a head injury in October 2014 while in Rolston’s care.
Rolston was babysitting Coleman even though she had a previous conviction for child neglect. That conviction helped trigger Tuesday’s mistrial.
Jurors were told not to reference outside cases with each other, including that neglect case. But a juror did just that, so the defense asked for a mistrial, and the judge granted one.
The prosecution also did not object.
Since his death, Coleman’s family helped set up a registry of people convicted of child abuse or neglect in Indiana, known as Kirk’s Law.
