A judge has cleared the district attorney\u2019s office of any \u201coutrageous governmental conduct\u201d in connection to a Mancos sexual assault case.<\/p>\n
Accused of drugging and pimping the mother of his child, Christopher Collins, 34, of Mancos filed allegations of his own against prosecutors. Public defender Katherine Whitney argued the charges against her client should be dismissed; citing District Attorney Will Furse was negligent. Whitney claimed her client was held for 35 days without a preliminary hearing as required by law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe district attorney filed charges that he knew he couldn\u2019t prove,\u201d said Whitney. \u201cHe took my client\u2019s liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The alleged crimes occurred in April, and charges were filed in May. Court records show initial charges were dismissed upon a recommendation from prosecutors on June 24. Furse filed six amended charges the same day. A June 25 preliminary hearing was subsequently continued until July 16.<\/p>\n
Furse argued that Whitney failed to provide any evidence he acted with outrageous conduct that would pass the legal \u201cshock the conscious\u201d test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are baseless accusations,\u201d Furse said.<\/p>\n
District Court Judge Todd Plewe agreed, citing prosecutors could dismiss and re-file amended charges prior to a preliminary hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no grounds for the court to dismiss the charges based on governmental misconduct,\u201d said Plewe.<\/p>\n
Whitney also requested that her client\u2019s $100,000 bond be reduced to $25,000, citing \u201ccredibility concerns of the alleged victim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Furse argued against a bond reduction, stating the defendant violently raped the 31-year-old alleged victim without her consent. Charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, Furse added three protection order violations were also pending against the suspect.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Collins has systematically terrorized the victim,\u201d said Furse.<\/p>\n
Plewe sided with prosecutors, maintaining the current bond.<\/p>\n
According to court records, the mother of the alleged victim told police that the defendant drugged her daughter, then had sex and allowed others to have sex in exchange for money while her daughter was unconscious.<\/p>\n
Collins has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A trial, expected to last up to two weeks, is set to start Jan. 20.<\/p>\n