Sex Abuse Charges Dismissed Against 72 Year Old Idaho Man

CALDWELL, Idaho (AP) — A district judge has dismissed the charge against a 72-year-old Wilder man accused of sexually touching a 15-year-old girl.

The judge has declared the man unfit for trial. The Idaho Press Tribune reports that after Victor H. Charles was charged last year and pleaded not guilty, his defense attorney filed a motion for a mental health examination. The defense argued that Charles had a stroke in 1990 with long-term effects that caused poor short-term memory and resulted in a struggle to verbally express himself.

After months in the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for competency rehabilitation, a doctor determined he was only "marginally competent" to stand trial. The charges against Charles were dismissed at the end of June.