D.A. RULES OUT RETRIAL OF CARNEY.Byline: Karen Maeshiro and Troy Anderson Staff Writers A month after a jury acquitted former Palmdale City Councilman Kevin Carney car·ney n. Informal Variant of carny. of four child-molestation charges, a Superior Court judge on Monday dismissed a dozen remaining criminal charges against him. Prosecutor prosecutor Government attorney who presents the state's case against the defendant in a criminal prosecution. In some countries (France, Japan), public prosecution is carried out by a single office. In the U.S., states and counties have their own prosecutors. Rob Dver told the judge his office did not oppose a defense motion to dismiss the charges that had deadlocked dead·lock n. 1. A standstill resulting from the opposition of two unrelenting forces or factions. 2. Sports A tied score. 3. a jury during Carney's criminal trial. A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office said there wasn't enough evidence to warrant a retrial retrial n. a new trial granted upon the motion of the losing party, based on obvious error, bias or newly-discovered evidence. (See: newly-discovered evidence) . During an interview after the hearing, the former sheriff's sergeant reflected on the 14-month ordeal ordeal, ancient legal custom whereby an accused person was required to perform a test, the outcome of which decided the person's guilt or innocence. By an ordeal, appeal was made to divine authority to decide the guilt or innocence of one accused of a crime or to that began with his arrest on Oct. 29, 1999. ``It will be a very blessed Christmas, and we will be very grateful to God for everything, for the way things turned out,'' said Carney, 49, a former sheriff's sergeant who once investigated sex crimes against children. Despite the dismissal, Carney said his life will never be the same. ``Everything that I've worked for - almost everything that I've worked for my entire life, with the exception of my family and my home - (has) been taken away from me: my livelihood, my reputation in the community, my honor. Those things have been taken from me,'' Carney said as he sat in a burgundy recliner in the living room of his Palmdale home. But he said he also found a positive side to his experience. ``I found out who my friends are, and I found out that there are number of tremendous people, particularly in this community but throughout the area in general, who saw this case for what it was and who stuck by me. For that, I'm very grateful,'' Carney said. Carney's legal troubles are not over. One of his accusers and her mother have filed a civil lawsuit against Carney. ``We'll deal with that. Just because they are suing me civilly doesn't make what they're saying is true,'' he said. Carney originally was charged with molesting four girls. During his trial, prosecutors told the jury of seven men and five women that Carney was a longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective molester mo·lest tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy. 2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity. who used a turtle turtle, a reptile of the order Chelonia, with strong, beaked, toothless jaws and, usually, an armorlike shell. The shell normally consists of bony plates overlaid with horny shields. collection to lure girls to his home. After four days of deliberations, a jury on Nov. 2 acquitted him of counts involving two girls and deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquittal The legal and formal certification of the innocence of a person who has been charged with a crime. Acquittals in fact take place when a jury finds a verdict of not guilty. on counts involving two other girls, including a 15-year-old family friend. After the trial, jurors said the four girls' trial testimony differed too significantly from what they had told detectives in taped interviews. Carney said he's grateful the criminal case against him was dropped, and he plans to write a book called ``Framing the Turtle Man.'' He said he already has written two murder mysteries in which the protagonist is a sheriff's deputy. Carney's wife, Kathleen Carney, said her family is relieved the charges were dismissed. ``I'm just relieved that this is going to be behind us, and I'd like to thank all the people who have supported us through their prayers and cards,'' she said. ``Now we can go on with our lives and have a good Christmas.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion