Rape Charges Dropped Against Former Cop

Rape charges dropped against former hero cop DeCoatsworth: http://t.co/X7HkImQnHS pic.twitter.com/t3NLEKrwvs

— Philly.com Breaking (@phillynews) September 29, 2014

You remember Richard DeCoatsworth? He was the Philly cop shot in the face a couple of years ago, who still managed to pursue his attacker even while bleeding badly. He underwent surgeries, and ended up standing next to Michelle Obama at the State of the Union address — only to end up leaving the force later, then being charged with rape earlier this year.

Now, the Inky says the “most serious charges of rape” are being dropped. “Prosecutors said there were credibility problems with the two witnesses,” the paper reported. He still faces a domestic violence charge involving his girlfriend.

The D.A.’s office released a short statement:

After an intense follow up investigation by the District Attorney’s Office it was determined there was not enough evidence to proceed to trial with the trafficking and sex crime charges against this defendant. The Commonwealth will still proceed with the defendant’s remaining domestic violence charges.

In May, the Daily News described those charges against DeCoatsworth: “In one case, DeCoatsworth, 27, is accused of holding two women hostage and forcing them to take drugs and engage in sexual acts at gunpoint. In the other case, he’s accused of abusing his girlfriend, police said.”

We said at the time that even if DeCoatsworth were guilty of the charges, his story could only be seen as a tragedy. We’ll have to wait for more details — and probably beyond today — to find out if redemption is in the offing.