YOUNGSTOWN — Micheal A. Hewlett, 47, was about to go on trial Monday on a charge of felonious assault, but the jurors were sent home before hearing any evidence.

Visiting Judge Andrew Logan said he could not discuss the reason to avoid tainting future jurors.

Hewlett is charged with felonious assault in a July 4, 2023, incident in Youngstown in which he is accused of stabbing a man at a home on Southern Boulevard.

A judgment entry filed Monday in the case states that a panel of jurors and one alternate were selected Monday morning. But prior to opening statements and witness testimony, “the Court found the defendant unable to assist in his defense. The Court finds a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial to secure the ends of justice.”

Logan told the jurors that something came up and there is “no way we can cure that in time, so we have to excuse you and we are going to have to start with another jury at the next available time frame.”

He said he “cannot really tell you” the reason for having to start over later because “it could taint” a future jury.

Logan, a retired Trumbull County Common Pleas Court judge, was prepared to hear the trial on behalf of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge John Durkin.