Charges dismissed against former Florence police chief
Two charges of sexual battery, class C misdemeanors, filed against Merlin D. Stout, former Florence Police Chief, have been dismissed by the Kansas Attorney General's office.
In a one-page document dated June 14 and filed in the Marion County District Court office Friday, the document stated a "motion of dismissal by the state of Kansas."
"In the interest of justice," the document stated, "the plaintiff (state) wishes to dismiss the above case."
It was ordered, adjudged, and decreed at the request of the plaintiff, the case be dismissed and the defendant's bond be exonerated, stated the document.
Nola Wright, assistant attorney general and the prosecuting attorney in the case, was contacted for comment.
A public information officer from the attorney general's office, Jan Lunsford, provided the following statement:
"Basically, the best course of action in this case after review, was for the police chief to resign and he will be moving from Marion County."
Stout, 60, was accused of two counts of sexual battery. The charges were filed in February and stemmed from incidences in Florence of Stout being accused of touching a woman inappropriately in a Florence restaurant.
In a pre-trial hearing on May 19, Wright said there were three separate occasions where a woman, working as a waitress at a Florence restaurant, allegedly was touched on the buttocks by Stout.
Other allegations were made at the pre-trial hearing of a second witness being invited to Stout's home where she refused his advances.
Wright said a third statement was from a woman who contacted the Marion County Sheriff's Office and reported Stout had allegedly called her and wanted her to run away with him.
At a June 7 Florence City Council meeting, the council received and accepted Stout's resignation as Florence Police Chief. The resignation was effective June 1.
Stout was on leave without pay from the city pending the outcome of the trial.
Stout provided a Rolla address on the letter of resignation.
