Some charges dropped against embattled Readstown chief
VIROQUA — The two most significant felony charges facing
Readstown Police Chief Shay Larson were dismissed Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors
dropped charges of sexual assault of
a child and intimidating a witness, saying new evidence would make it
hard to prove the case.
A boy had accused Larson of touching him
after he saw media reports that Larson had been charged with other crimes.
Larson still faces two other felonies and
six misdemeanors, stemming from what investigators say was a pattern of using
his badge to commit crimes and leverage sexual favors.
“I believe that
ethically I could not go forward at this time” on the latest charges, Vernon
County District Attorney Timothy Gaskell said. He declined to discuss
specifics.
Larson’s attorney,
Luis Delgado, said he was thankful the charges were dismissed.
Still, the district attorney continues to pursue other charges.
A witness
testified at a preliminary hearing Wednesday that Larson knew she was driving
drunk, and rather than arrest her, Larson encouraged her to rendezvous with him
in the village park.
Larson’s attorney
said the chief was merely using discretion by not arresting the woman.
Gaskell said
there’s a difference between discretion and dereliction.
“All officers have
discretion whether to cite people or not,” Gaskell said. “But they do not have
discretion, your honor, to allow people to continue down the road, right after
they’ve had contact with them, knowing that they are committing an illegal
act.”
Larson also has been accused of pressuring
a woman to give him oral sex in a downtown business and encouraging others to
cover up his alleged misdeeds.
Meanwhile, Larson
is still employed as the village’s only law enforcement officer.
He has continued
to receive a paycheck since being placed on administrative leave last fall when
a criminal investigation began.
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