HOUSTON-- A federal jury appears to be having trouble deciding whether a government pilot lied about flying his helicopter low over two would-be illegal immigrants before one of the men drowned in the Rio Grande in South Texas.
Jurors resumed deliberating Friday in Houston in the case of Department of Homeland Security pilot James Peters. He's charged with four counts of making false statements.
Jurors told a judge Thursday they'd reached a decision on one count but couldn't agree on the others. The judge told them to keep trying.
Authorities allege turbulence from the helicopter's blades caused the man to lose his grip on an inner tube as Peters tried to drive the men back into Mexico. Prosecutors say Peters lied to authorities investigating the 2005 drowning, which Peters' attorneys deny.
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