A former Marysville police chief will not face charges of sexual assault — but he hasn't been cleared of wrongdoing.
The Yuba County District Attorney's Office says Aaron Easton will not be charged with the sexual assault of a cadet, which allegedly occurred at the Yuba College Police Academy during a ride-along.
DA Patrick McGrath says there is a problem: A judge would likely throw out much of the evidence that the prosecution would need to argue its case.
The evidence included “specific instances of his behavior outside of the February 2008 incident” that “contradicted statements that he made in his voluntary interview with law enforcement,” according to McGrath.
“It also was information that tended to corroborate the information provided by the victim in this case,” he said.
McGrath says the sheriff's investigative team found the woman's allegation credible. Easton was facing felony charges for allegedly forcing the woman to perform oral sex.
The DA understands some community members will doubt his office's motives. "You'll have people thinking that somebody in law enforcement might have gotten a break,” he said. “That certainly is not the case here.”
He continued: “Our decision was not an exoneration of Mr. Easton. That's why we have indicated we believe the allegation was credible, that it more likely than not had actually occurred."
Easton resigned in November of last year.
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