The families of the five girls who said they were sexually assaulted by their former dance instructor said yesterday they are "very disappointed" with the jury acquitting the man of 12 of the 18 sex-assault charges.

"The verdict was a huge blow to our families and most of all to our daughters, and it breaks our hearts to think that the criminal justice system has let these young girls down," they said in a joint written statement.

The families criticized the jury for not showing the "courage" that their daughters did in stepping forward in the case. But Daniel Jones' lawyers said the panel did show courage, dedication and hard work in rendering "the proper verdicts based upon the evidence."

Jones, 21, was charged with molesting the girls when they were students at the Rosalie Woodson Dance Academy in 2004 and 2005.

After a three-week trial and nearly nine days of deliberations, the jury on Tuesday acquitted Jones on charges of molesting three of the girls and some of the charges involving the two other girls. The panel could not reach unanimous verdicts on the six remaining felony sex-assault charges.

Circuit Judge Virginia Crandall scheduled a retrial for the week of Aug. 28 on the remaining charges involving the two girls. Jones' lawyers said they will ask that the charges be dismissed.

Each of the girls, now 14 and 15, testified that Jones molested them. Jones did not testify, but his defense was that the girls' testimony was so inconsistent that it did not support a conviction of any of the charges.

Two of the jurors told The Advertiser the panel believed the prosecution did not prove its case on the 12 counts. Other panelists declined to comment.

The families yesterday thanked people who supported them, and especially the city Prosecutor's Office. The families said they support a retrial.

"We will again put our trust and confidence in the criminal justice system," their statement said. "Our only hope is that the next jury will show the same courage as our daughters have and give them the justice they so deserve."

Jones' lawyers, Myron Takemoto and Ken Shimozono, replied with their own written statement yesterday, saying the verdicts speak for themselves.

"Unlike those persons with an emotional tie to the case, or others who like to speculate based on media accounts, the jurors listened to every bit of evidence for over three weeks and then spent nine days carefully considering the evidence," their statement said.

"All the jurors served their civic duty honorably in this case, and their commitment should not be called into question simply because the jury did not render the result that some people wanted," the lawyers said.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.