Jury finds man not guilty of assaulting woman at U.S. research station in Antarctica

A federal jury on Wednesday found a man not guilty of assaulting a woman at a U.S. research station in Antarctica in a case that drew attention amid reports of harassment and assault at the station.

Stephen Tyler Bieneman pulled tissues from a box on the defense table and cried as each juror was polled and said they found him not guilty of misdemeanor assault in connection with an incident last November at McMurdo Station. Jurors deliberated for 1-1/2 hours after a day in which Bieneman testified that he didn't initiate the incident or harm the woman.

"It's taken a huge toll on my reputation," he said outside the courtroom. "This vindicates him," said his attorney, Birney Bervar.