.jpg)
Pennsylvania withdrew two 1994 misdemeanor charges from former Weimar City Manager Donald Dixson, Dec. 8, after their discovery in November.
Dauphin County Judge Rebecca Margerum withdrew the charges of corruption of minors and indecent assault. Dixson will maintain his innocence. The criminal complaint was filed June 9, 1994, but court records show Dixson was declared a fugitive shortly afterwards, on Aug. 11, 1994. Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said he expected this outcome.
“I regret that this happened, but I can’t fix something that happened 30 years ago,” Chardo said. “…The rule is explicit.”
Chardo referred to Rule 600 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure as the legal guideline for the 31-yearold case. The law provides that trials must be held within 180 days of the filing of the complaint in order to protect the right to a speedy trial, ensure effective prosecution and prevent a backlog in criminal cases.
However, Chardo said the statute of limitations does not apply when a defendant is out of state, but Rule 600 includes an exception requiring law enforcement to exercise due diligence. Chardo said the charges were withdrawn because of this.
“We have a duty. We can’t go forward unless we can meet our obligation, and we can’t meet our obligation to Rule 600,” Chardo said. “…We reviewed it, and there is a 0.0% chance that we can win a Rule 600 motion.”
On Nov. 17, Weimar City Council accepted the immediate resignation of Dixson after the charges came to light. Colorado County Sherriff’s Office reported the discovery to the city after receiving a tip from John Harrington. Harrington operates the “Corruption Watch – Texas” Facebook page.
“There’s a victim somewhere isn’t there. Either you got an ac- tual victim who did not receive justice...or the accused was victimized,” Harrington said. “…I’ve had fami ly members reach out to me. I can’t speak for them, but I bet you can probably imagine how they feel about it. It’s over.”
Chardo said that local law enforcement was able to contact a victim for this case. However, he did not know how the conversation proceeded. The case is now marked closed.
