AUBURN – Seven men and seven women were chosen as jurors Monday for the trial of a Navy journalist accused of hitting his adopted son with a wooden spoon.

Jeremy Allen, 30, faces a charge of assault for allegedly spanking his 22-month-old son, Nathaniel, in February 2003 with enough force to leave bruises on the boy’s thighs and buttocks.

Allen’s trial was initially scheduled for last May. But it was postponed after lawyers on both sides could not find 14 impartial jurors from that month’s jury pool.

In preparation for another try, the lawyers worked with Justice Ellen Gorman to revise the questions for the potential jurors.

The second attempt began Monday morning with a group of about 90 people from Androscoggin County. It took eight hours before the lawyers decided on 14 people.

Several of the potential jurors were dismissed in the morning based on their answers to a written questionnaire. The rest were called to the judge’s chambers throughout the day to speak with Gorman, defense attorney George Hess and Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese.

The panel of 14, which includes 12 jurors and two alternates, was chosen at 5 p.m.

Before letting the jury go for the day, Gorman instructed the jurors not to watch or read any news coverage of the case. She also told them not to talk about the case with each other or anyone else.

Attorneys on both sides will give their opening statements Tuesday morning.

Allen, a 30-year-old Navy officer who works in the public affairs office at the Brunswick Naval Air Station, arrived at the courthouse Monday morning dressed in his white Navy uniform.

If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.

Background

Police say Allen hit his son with enough force to leave bruises on his thighs and buttocks.

The assault allegedly occurred two days before the boy died. Allen’s wife, Sarah, has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the child’s death.

Police say that on Feb. 14, 2003, after Jeremy Allen left the couple’s home in Lisbon for a business trip to New Hampshire, Sarah Allen shook the boy, causing head and neck injuries that led to his death.

The Allens, who adopted Nathaniel from Guatemala in April 2002, have denied all of the allegations.

Sarah Allen’s case went to trial in June, but it ended without a verdict after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. A second trial is scheduled for next month.