A felony animal abuse case against an area man has been dismissed in Madison County.
Jason Hampton, 56, of Farmington, had been charged in 2018 with a class E felony of animal abuse after allegedly injuring a dog and leaving the dog for dead on a rural road.
The alleged crime took place in St. Francois County. However, the St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Gilliam requested recusal from the case and that a special prosecutor be assigned.
“During the time our office was handling the case, allegations were raised that we would not be fair in prosecuting the defendant because he was an employee of St. Francois County,” explained Gilliam. “This potential appearance of favoritism, coupled with the fact that one of our own employees worked directly with the shelter and organization involved in the rescue of Trooper, prompted our office to file a conflict in this case.
“A judge removed our office from the case and appointed a special prosecutor, without any conflicts of interest, to handle the case,” Gilliam said. “After that point, our office exercised no control at all over the case.”
The case was transferred to Madison County in September, but the charge against Hampton was dismissed Tuesday.