Santee

A former Santee substitute teacher charged with molesting eight girls is to return to court Thursday when a date for his second trial will be set.

John Busker, 27, of La Mesa, was found not guilty Friday of one misdemeanor count of fondling a female student last fall while he worked as a substitute teacher at the Chet F. Harritt Elementary School in Santee.

The San Diego Superior Court jury deadlocked on 17 other child-molestation counts late Friday, and the jury was discharged after they discussed the case for about nine hours over two days.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Eugenia Eyherabide said this week she will retry Busker, and Judge Melinda Lasater ordered him to return to court Thursday to set a retrial date.

The deadlocked jury was divided, and some votes were for 11 to 1 for guilty on some counts, 8 to 4 for acquittal on others, and 9 to 3 on yet other charges, according to court sources.

Eight girls testified that Busker touched them inappropriately or fondled them while in class.

Busker denied wrongdoing when he testified last week, but did admit to some inappropriate touching when interviewed by two Sheriff’s Department child-abuse detectives. His attorney, M. Lee Haugen, argued that Busker’s statements were not voluntary because they were made under coercion and insults by the detectives.

Busker remains free on a $75,000 bail posted a day after his Dec. 20, 1989, arrest.

Busker was fired from the Santee School District once the allegations became known.