A Kenosha County jury trial ended early after a courtroom entrance raised concerns about influence on jurors. Surveillance video released this week shows members of Guardians of the Children, a nonprofit motorcycle organization that supports abused children, entering a courthouse courtroom alongside an alleged child victim on Nov. 3.

The defendant in the case is Micah Jonathan Dillon, 19, of Salem, who faces four felony charges, including repeated sexual assault of a child and incest, and was held on $50,000 cash bail. The charges are allegations, and Dillon is presumed innocent unless and until they are proven in court.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, jurors were returning from lunch in Branch 2 of the Kenosha County Courthouse, with 12 of 13 jurors already seated. A victim-witness advocate from the District Attorney's Office entered with the child, and several Guardians members entered at about the same time. Defense counsel objected to the group entering alongside the child before the jury, while not objecting to members quietly attending the public trial.

The next morning, Judge Jason Rossell granted a mistrial. He said the group's members had been respectful and he found no improper purpose on their part, but he concluded their recognizable vests and the way the entrance could be perceived by jurors created a risk of improper influence. He declined a prosecutor's request to question jurors individually first, and a juror later told Kenosha County Eye that the panel had not felt intimidated.

Guardians of the Children was founded in San Antonio, Texas, in 2006 and says its members support children and families affected by abuse, including accompanying young victims to court. The child's family said it had asked the group to attend. The case is expected to be scheduled for a new jury trial in 2027.