Charges dismissed in Lee County sex abuse case

Charges against a Warsaw, Illinois, man accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old in Keokuk in February have been dismissed.

Nicholas Foster, 20, was facing one count of third-degree sexual abuse in Lee County.

On Oct. 20, at the request of the Lee County Attorney's Office, District Court Judge Joshua Schier of the Eighth Judicial District of Iowa dismissed the charges against Foster.

In March, a 17-year-old reported to a school resource officer in Lee County that they had been sexually assaulted by Foster at a motel in February, according to a criminal complaint.

Investigators interviewed Foster on March 3, but he denied the allegations and provided a DNA sample, the complaint states.

More:Warsaw man arrested for sex abuse charge in Lee County after missing juvenile found

In May, a lab reporter from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed that DNA samples found on the victim's clothing matched Foster, according to court records. A warrant for Foster's arrest was issued on Aug. 12.

Foster was taken into custody in Lee County following an incident in August when the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, Quincy Police Department, and U.S. Marshal's Service located a missing teen (who was found with Foster) that they had been searching for since May.

He pleaded not guilty to the sex abuse charge and his trial was set to begin on Oct. 25.

On Oct. 19, assistant Lee County Attorney Thomas Gage filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing "witness credibility issues that came out at depositions" that would have caused "issues proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt," according to court records.

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This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Charges dropped in Lee County sex abuse case