Child Molestation Charge Dismissed After Vigorous Defense Investigation

The defense’s persistent efforts to interview a key witness preceded the dismissal of a child molestation charge against a Tacoma man.

Case Summary

The accusation

The claim was that a Tacoma man molested a girl.

The charge

Child molestation.

The possible sentence

51 months to life and sex offender registration.

The defense Marshall & Saunders presented

The prosecution had not included the girl’s father on its witness list, but Marshall & Saunders identified him as a key defense witness. The defense intended to argue at trial that the father had elicited a false allegation from his daughter and sought to interview him before trial.

The prosecutor did not dispute the client’s right to have his attorneys interview the father and cooperated with efforts to arrange his appearance.

The result

The child molestation charge was dismissed.

What helped obtain the result

After repeated attempts and continued pressure from defense counsel, the prosecutor gave up on securing the father's appearance and moved to dismiss the case.