A second mistrial was granted Wednesday in the case of an Elkhart man accused of raping the same juvenile female his son was recently convicted of raping.
Mark Gordon Parmenter, 55, is charged with two counts of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse in connection with incidents occurring in July 2010. His son, Eric Chandler Parmenter, 28, was found guilty in September of two counts of third-degree sexual abuse committed against the same victim his father stands accused of sexually abusing.
The alleged crimes occurred in Perry. The victim reported the rapes in June 2017, and an investigation by the Perry Police Department resulted in Parmenter’s arrest in April 2018
According to court records, Dallas County District Court Judge Brad McCall granted the elder Parmenter’s attorney’s motion for a mistrial after learning a witness discussed in-court matters supposed to be excluded from testimony.
Parmenter’s first mistrial was granted in October by Dallas County District Court Associate Judge Virginia Cobb after a juror was excused for a work-related reason.
Jury selection for Parmenter’s third trial is now underway, according to court records.
The younger Parmenter was sentenced in November to 10 years in prison. He is appealing his case to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
The Ankeny man was arrested in March 2018 by the Perry Police Department and originally charged with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse-forcible rape.
