Post by WaTcHeR on Apr 19, 2006 9:56:26 GMT -5
04/18/2006 - A judge today dismissed all felony charges against a former Logan County sheriff's detective accused of having sex with a teenage witness in one of his cases.
Jon Stout, 37, of Bellefontaine, had been charged with two counts of sexual battery, both third-degree felonies, and one count of endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark S. O'Connor dropped all those charges, ruling that Stout had "not assumed the dominant parental role" for the girl.
In court filings, prosecutors said that Stout held a position of trust with the girl. For sexual battery charges, state law created special criminal categories for people who hold positions of trust, such as teachers, coaches and scout leaders. O'Connor's ruling said that "law officers who come into contact with minors during an investigation" are not covered in the law.
Stout still faces misdemeanor charges of public indecency, interference with custody and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child. A hearing on those charges is set for May 31.
A grand jury indicted Stout in January. Court records accused him of having oral sex with the girl on Sept. 30, not long after she turned 16.
Stout had spent 16 years with the Logan County sheriff's office. Sheriff Michael Henry fired him in November for refusing to take a polygraph after the allegations surfaced.
The former detective will continue to fight the misdemeanor charges, his attorney Gregg Lewis said.
He also is appealing his firing.
Jon Stout, 37, of Bellefontaine, had been charged with two counts of sexual battery, both third-degree felonies, and one count of endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark S. O'Connor dropped all those charges, ruling that Stout had "not assumed the dominant parental role" for the girl.
In court filings, prosecutors said that Stout held a position of trust with the girl. For sexual battery charges, state law created special criminal categories for people who hold positions of trust, such as teachers, coaches and scout leaders. O'Connor's ruling said that "law officers who come into contact with minors during an investigation" are not covered in the law.
Stout still faces misdemeanor charges of public indecency, interference with custody and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child. A hearing on those charges is set for May 31.
A grand jury indicted Stout in January. Court records accused him of having oral sex with the girl on Sept. 30, not long after she turned 16.
Stout had spent 16 years with the Logan County sheriff's office. Sheriff Michael Henry fired him in November for refusing to take a polygraph after the allegations surfaced.
The former detective will continue to fight the misdemeanor charges, his attorney Gregg Lewis said.
He also is appealing his firing.