TENNESSEE
The Leaf-Chronicle
By REGAN LOYOLA HUNEYCUTT
The Leaf-Chronicle
It has been nearly three years since the Rev. LaMonte McNeese, founder of One Way Apostolic Assembly Church, was accused of rape and sexual battery.
Several motions and court hearings later, his ordeal ended Friday, with the state deciding to retire the three remaining charges against him.
Retiring charges — or dismissing them without prejudice — means the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office can bring those charges to trial in the future.
"I feel obviously relieved that this is over," McNeese said after the charges were retired. "I am angry, but I don't feel revengeful towards anybody."
McNeese's case was supposed to go to trial March 28 on three charges — two counts of child rape and one county of statutory rape — but the state Friday decided not to move forward. Assistant District Attorney Art Bieber asked Circuit Court Judge Michael Jones to retire the case because the alleged victim was too emotionally scarred from a November 2004 trial in Stewart County to participate in the Montgomery County proceedings.
Posted by kshaw at March 12, 2005 09:47 AM