Jun. 25—WILKES-BARRE — More than nine months after a mistrial was declared in the case against former Crestwood band director Theron Roberts on child corruption offenses, a jury was selected Tuesday with opening statements expected to begin Wednesday in Luzerne County Court.

Roberts, 41, of Pringle, was charged by Wright Township police in December 2021, after a female alleged in February 2020 that he grabbed her buttocks and threatened her in September or October 2019. The female was in the high school band and was 14 at the time of the alleged incident.

Roberts faced a two-day trial in September 2023, which ended in a mistrial declared by Judge David W. Lupas when the jury was unable to reach unanimous verdicts on four criminal offenses after deliberating for nearly six hours.

A second trial was scheduled in January but one of the attorneys involved in the case became ill with coronavirus a day before a jury was to be selected. Other court cases and attorneys’ schedules pushed Roberts’ trial to this week.

Attorneys Frank W. Nocito and Philip Gelso represent Roberts.

Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General Julia Jacobs Van Leeuwen is prosecuting.

Roberts is charged with institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and two counts of indecent assault.