SPOKANE, Wash. – A former Spokane Police sergeant accused of rape goes to trial for the second time Monday morning, according to officials.
Gordon Ennis's trial begins at 9:30 a.m.
Ennis's first trial ended in mistrial. He was charged with second degree rape two years ago.
A fellow SPD officer accused Ennis of sexually assaulting her at a house party in October 2015. The victim said she was "very intoxicated” at the party, according to documents. She said she passed out in a guest bedroom and woke up to Ennis touching her inappropriately.
The victim told detectives she tried to move away and heard Ennis say, "I gotta go, I gotta go home," in a panicked voice. Investigators said they later found the woman's DNA in Ennis's car on the gear shift and driver's side seat belt.
The court selected 125 potential jurors before completing final selections on Thursday, Feb. 22. Potential jurors had to answer a list of questions, with some pertaining to personal experiences with sexual assault or the Spokane Police Department.
Concerns arose about finding jurors who did not know anything about the case. As a result, jurors were asked if they had seen any news coverage about the case. If they answered yes, they were questioned questioned individually to see if they qualified to serve on the jury.
Ennis's trial is expected to last three weeks.
