Burlington — A Vermont judge has declared in mistrial in the case of a former police officer who was charged with assaulting a teenage girl at a technical school.

A Burlington judge declared the mistrial on Wednesday after a jury decided they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of 52-year-old David Scibek. He had pleaded not guilty to simple assault charges.

Police said Scibek used a pressure-point technique on a 16-year-old female student at Burlington Technical Center in November as punishment for refusing to comply with a rule. The student said she fell and hurt her back.

Scibek said he had attempted to demonstrate a technique for students in class, and that the girl manipulated the environment.