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A judge dismissed a sexual assault charge against a former
Wheeling police officer Tuesday but Matthew Kotson still faces four separate
sexual assault trials.
Judge Arthur Recht agreed with special prosecutor David
Cross and dismissed a second degree sexual assault charge against Kotson
stemming back to an alleged June 2007 assault. Special prosecutor Cross says
the evidence to support the charge didn't stand.
Judge Recht also rescheduled Kotson's first trial to begin
Sept. 4. Those charges are connected with a Nov. 24, 2011 alleged sexual
assault. It was the victim of that rape who reported Kotson and a closer look
by police resulted in charges in three other cases.
Kotson, 32, now faces a total of eight charges including
four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of second-degree sexual
assault and one count of burglary.
All of the alleged assaults took place after Kotson became a
Wheeling police officer. He was fired Dec. 2, 2011 after eight years on the
force.
Judge Recht ordered earlier this year that the cases would
be tried separately.
Kotson remains free on bond.