SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 27, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Corruption charges against former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff have been dropped at the request of prosecutors.
The decision was handed down Wednesday by 3rd District Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills who agreed with prosecutors’ concerns over Shurtleff’s ability to get a speedy trial.
Shurtleff had been charged with five felonies in 2014: three counts of accepting gifts, one count of bribery to dismiss charges, and one county of obstruction of justice. He also was charged with two misdemeanors: obstructing justice and official misconduct.
The corruption charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning charges could be refiled in the future.
Shurtleff pleaded innocent, and his trial was set for October.
Troy Rawlings, Davis County Attorney, on Monday filed the dismissal motion in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court, citing his inability to provide Shurtleff’s attorneys with discovery material, insufficient evidence on some charges, and concern over the lack of a speedy trial.
The motion also indicated the prosecution no longer felt there was a “reasonable probability of conviction.”
The criminal charges followed a major investigation by state and federal agents on alleging misconduct and his successor, former Attorney General John Swallow, who faces separate corruption charges.
(Developing)
