The retrial of a former Navy pilot accused of sexually assaulting children years ago ended in deadlock for the second time.

A jury in Island County Superior Court was unable to agree on a verdict on any of the charges against 75-year-old Charles Ringer, who was also the former comptroller at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. As a result, the judge declared a mistrial.

Prosecutors have not said whether they plan to retry the case for the third time or dismiss it. A hearing is set for two weeks.

Another jury, however, may still hear the allegations in a civil case. The stepdaughter filed a lawsuit against Ringer in 2021, alleging infliction of emotion distress, assault and battery and false imprisonment. The proceedings are on hold, awaiting the outcome of the criminal case.

The prosecution alleged that Ringer repeatedly raped his stepdaughter during the years of 2012 to 2015, when she was 11 to 15 years old. In addition, he was accused of molesting his other daughter in 2002, when she was 11 years old. The allegations involving his biological daughter were not included in the first trial.

Under the amended charges, Ringer was accused of rape of a child in the first, second and third degree and child molestation in the first degree.

Ringer has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The case against Ringer is longstanding and the file is voluminous. The stepdaughter first made the allegations in 2015 and he was charged in 2019. The jury hung in the first trial, which occurred in November 2020.

During the first trial, the stepdaughter became very emotional and had difficulty testifying about the allegations.

During the second trial, however, the stepdaughter took the stand with a courthouse facility dog, which is meant to provide comfort and courage to help victims of traumatic events testify. A state law allows the specially trained dogs to accompany victims in court. The defense objected to the use of the dog, but it helped her feel safe and maintain her composure, according to the prosecution.

The young woman testified that Ringer raped her hundreds of times at his North Whidbey home and his condominiums in Bangkok, Thailand. She testified at length about the sexual abuse in graphic detail and about two suicide attempts, the second of which landed her in a secure psychiatric ward at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. She described how her mother, who worked for an airline, was often away from home and that Ringer controlled nearly every aspect of her life, forcing her to negotiate with sexual favors for the smallest freedoms.

The woman who is Ringer’s biological daughter didn’t want to testify during the first trial and investigators were unable to locate her despite numerous attempts, including sending New York City cops to her home. After the first jury deadlocked, she finally agreed to testify.

Ringer’s attorney, Zachary Wagnild, argued during opening statements and closing arguments that the alleged victims made up the allegations because they were angry with him for other reasons.

“He didn’t sexually abuse anyone,” he said. “He’s here because he’s got a stepdaughter who got angry at him. She ran away. She had no place to go except her home, so she accused him. That’s why we are here and that’s the only reason we are here.”

Wagnild argued that Ringer’s biological daughter had an axe to grind over her childhood.

The defense attorney was critical of what he described as a lack of hard evidence and encouraged the jurors not to let emotion guide them.

In his closing arguments, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme pointed out how difficult it was for the stepdaughter to go through repeated interviews, testimony and cross examination in which the defense attorney “dissected” everything she said. He questioned the defense’s contention that she created the detailed stories of abuse because she was mad that he took her cell phone away.

“Even if that was the case, why would (she) put herself through all of this because of use of a cell phone? Does that make any sense?” he asked.

Ohme pointed to Ringer’s “amazing” career in the Navy, which included being an instructor at the Top Gun school, and argued that he was clearly able to create sophisticated plans. Ohme said it was Ringer’s plan to bring the scared, docile child to live with him in a strange country, knowing that her mother would be away most of the time and that he would be able to control her.

“She was the perfect victim,” he said.