LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – A Lake Havasu City man charged with sex offenses involving a young girl escaped conviction at his jury trial, and what happens next won’t be decided until later this month. The three-day trial for Michael Lee, 34, ended July 9, after about fours hours of jury deliberation.
The jury acquitted Lee of furnishing harmful material (pornography) to a minor. The panel was unable to reach verdicts on four counts of sexual conduct with a minor.
The girl was 10 to 12 years old between 2022 and 2024 when sexual touching allegedly occurred repeatedly at two different Lake Havasu households. “I was uncomfortable and it hurt,” the girl, now 14, said of her first sexual encounter with the defendant.
Lee did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Ross Carponelli said one juror told him after the trial that the panel was split 8-4 in favor of not guilty verdicts on the sexual conduct counts. He said the juror indicated the evidence was insufficient to warrant conviction.
The case can be dismissed, resolved by plea agreement or proceed to a second trial. The court scheduled a July 20 hearing for attorneys to update the status of the matter.
Dave Hawkins
