The Missouri Attorney General's office, which was handling the prosecution of former Carthage Parks and Recreation director Mark Peterson on stealing and money laundering charges, will dismiss all charges Tuesday in Jasper County Circuit Court.
The dismissal was announced this afternoon in a news release issued by Peterson's attorneys at the Glades Law Firm.
The Glades Law Firm is proud to announce a significant victory for client rights, announcing that all criminal charges against Mark Peterson will be dismissed on Tuesday, February 17 when courts reopen after the President's Day holiday in Jasper County.
The case involved charges for three counts of stealing and two counts of money laundering, originally filed by the Jasper County Prosecutor's Office, where the prosecution relied heavily on a forensic audit requested by the City of Carthage.
The Glades Law Firm was able to find irrefutable evidence of 35 deposits Mark Peterson made into the City of Carthage's bank account that were not reported to the forensic auditor, which allowed the defense team to identify these inconsistencies that were overlooked by the Carthage Police Department.
"My team here at the office along with Mark's never-ending quest to prove his innocence allowed us to sift through terabytes of data to find the precise 'needle in the haystack' that demonstrated our client's innocence."
This victory emphasizes the importance of evolving legal strategies to incorporate new technologies to protect client rights.
So somebody did something wrong. And they should be put on trial for causing all the commotion.
ReplyDeleteWho did the wrong thing? Who withheld the info about the 35 deposits?
Police can only investigate what they recover from the city.
Was it Traci Cox? Did she withhold info during the investigation? And now she’s the top person at city hall???
Just like always, weird crap happens and nobody gets real answers
I seem to recall reading comments on this blog from various posters that read I won’t be surprised when this whole issue is dropped. Someone who reads this knew something. Perhaps they will elaborate.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that it was dismissed in a manner that allows for charges to be filed again later.
ReplyDeleteWas this why Dan Rife and Greg Dagnan were trying so hard to remain in power in Carthage? Also, how would it be possible for the police/the forensic auditor to have a far different conclusion than the AG’s office? I am confused and would like some answers!
ReplyDeleteThe prosecutor (AG in this case) would have provided a letter of explanation to Peterson’s attorney explaining why they are dropping the case. Why wasn’t this letter published today?
ReplyDeleteGlades firm does it again!
ReplyDeleteWho wants to work for a City that bungles investigations on that level? WOW.
ReplyDeleteWow, the only way that this data could not have been turned in to the auditor was if this was done maliciously. Mark and attorney were able to tick and tie all of the “missing” deposits. I always knew Greg Dagnan had it out for Mark. How can a man walk into church and sit there in front of God knowing what he has done? How can Carl Junction allow him to keep his job. Would have to imagine that Mark has a pretty good case against Greg.
ReplyDeleteBrian Glades helped me with a BS case several years back when Dylan Thomas (an incompetent attorney in Pineville and now running for prosecutor) was unable to do anything. I hired Brian and within 2-3 weeks everything was dismissed as it should have been. He isn't a cheap attorney, but he is a good one that will make sure his clients are represented.
ReplyDeleteThis was a foregone conclusion to anyone that was actually looking at the reports and facts. This was all a power trip by Greg Dagnan to remove people who he found a threat and replace them with sheep he could control. Poor Dan Rife was just a puppet, people need really realize how dangerous Greg was/is. He is the manifestation of greed and evil.
ReplyDeleteDust off the big checkbook. This is going to cost the city, big time, and rightly so. Unfortunately the bad actors at the source of this mess are no longer in city hall. The mayor, city administrator, city attorney, police chief and a couple key city council members have been impeached, fired, resigned, retired or been voted out. I hope that those individuals are brought back to explain their motivation. The folks in office, currently, will be tasked to sort out the aftermath of this debacle and to atone for the actions of a few misguided egotists. Best wishes to the Peterson family as they reassemble their lives after being drug through hell the past three years.
ReplyDeleteThis sheds light on the inability and incompetence that the Voters of Carthage / Jasper County have put into these worthless political positions - 35 Deposits and the City cannot Account for them - are you Voting in Idiots and Individuals who cannot do Simple Accounting - Thank God - we Trust these Imbeciles with our Tax Dollars, Tax Assessments, and County Budgets or we would be in a Hell of a Lot of Trouble. Now is he going to sue them for Defamation of Character and Loss of Current and Future Income - OMG - Carthage are you guys as dumb as a box of rocks???
ReplyDeleteDropping charges does not mean proven innocent. A remaining question is why Peterson didn’t provide the information regarding these deposits the first time the city asked for them?
ReplyDeleteThose deposits would have been visible in the banking records the entire time and the AG's office would have had them. They probably don't account for the entire amount of money alleged to be missing but certainly introduces enough doubt to prevent a jury to determine guilt.
ReplyDeleteIf I was Peterson I would watch for a potential federal indictment for tax charges or wire fraud. It is shocking that these deposits just suddenly came to light. He has charged years ago and not they're found?
They fired his assistant for taking kick backs and the course became profitable only after he left which creates another issue....
DeleteAgreed.
The defense doesn't have to account for every dollar. If the defense can successfully impeach the forensic accountant's opinion or report that served as the basis of the prosecution then the prosecution case falls apart.
If the prosecution or the court becomes aware of an issue like this then the case gets dismissed. The prosecution needs to decide if they can rework the case or just walk away. Or pass it to the feds.
Structured transactions are relatively easy to document, and the feds know them when they see them.
So blaming the defendant for incompetence at Carthage city hall and incompetence at Carthage police is the answer. This is all math. If the city bank statements don’t show missing money then there is no missing money. The sad part of all of this is that it now sounds like there was never missing money. So why did Greg Dagnan and Abi Almandinger push so hard to paint Mark Peterson as a criminal?
DeleteDropping the charges does not equal innocence. Where does it say the 35 deposits = $142k? There’s no way these were overlooked or withheld from the forensic audit. The golf course was in the red for years. He leaves and it starts making money.
ReplyDeleteBUT, if there was information withheld from the forensic auditor, there will be a long list of Carthage city officials and police officers who should be fired and some even charged with a crime!
DeleteStay mad, haters. INNOCENT
ReplyDeleteONE MORE TIME:
DeleteCharges dismissed does not mean innocent.
Charges dismissed means the charges are dismissed.
ONE MORE TIME
DeleteDismissed! Charges dropped! Not going to prison! No restitutuon warranted! Vindicated! Evil lost!
Is Tiffany Cossey still recalled?
ReplyDelete