PROVIDENCE (AP) - A judge declared a mistrial in a child molestation case in Rhode Island after a juror hearing another case in a nearby courtroom was sent home with an illness.

The judge made the decision out of an abundance of caution Thursday after a juror hearing a personal injury case reported not feeling well at the Providence Superior Court, court spokesperson Craig Berke said.

Jurors in the two cases had shared a staircase, he said.

Berke said they didn’t know the cause of the juror’s illnesses but reported the information to the state Health Department. Berke said there is no indication that the new coronavirus is present in the courthouse.

The mistrial was declared in the case against Bolivar Ceron, who is charged with child molestation. Ceron’s lawyer declined comment to The Providence Journal.

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