Marathon County judge dismisses assault case filed against Afghan refugee living in Wausau
WAUSAU – A Marathon County judge dismissed a charge Tuesday of sexual assault filed against an Afghan refugee living in Wausau.
Mattiullah Matie, 40, his wife and six children were among the first group of about 85 people from Afghanistan to resettle in Wausau in early 2022.
On Feb. 8, less than two months after his arrival, Wausau police arrested Matie. Officials released him on a $250 signature bond, but, after the Marathon County District Attorney's Office filed a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree sexual assault against him on Feb. 22, Circuit Judge Scott Corbett set a $5,000 signature bond during a court appearance on Feb. 24, according to court records.
A woman who had been helping Matie and his family filed a police report stating that Matie persuaded her to take him to a convenience store and have a couple of drinks with him and then had inappropriate physical contact with her, according to court documents.
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On Friday, Marathon County Assistant District Attorney Anita Lawrence filed a petition to have the case dismissed because Matie had undergone an assessment for alcohol and othe drug use, as well as counseling related to the charge against him, according to a court document.
On Tuesday, Corbett dismissed the charge against Mattie. Corbett signed an order to dismiss the case "without prejudice." That means the Marathon County District Attorney's Office could refile the case, if it chooses.
Matie arrived with his family at the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee just before the new year. He told the Wausau Daily Herald the greeting he got on his arrival day from members of Wausau's First United Methodist Church and staff of the Multicultural Community Center made it feel like a celebration of his wedding.
Matie's attorney, David Casey, did not immediately return a call Tuesday from the Daily Herald.
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Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Judge dismisses assault case filed against Wausau Afghan refugee
