Prosecutors have dismissed the remaining charges against Antonio Williamson, a former Summit County Sheriff’s lieutenant who was acquitted of sexual assault but was still being prosecuted for misusing a law enforcement database.
Williamson was scheduled to go on trial next week in Summit County Common Pleas Court. Instead, prosecutors dismissed the 10 felony charges he still faced “with prejudice,” which means they won’t be refiled, according to court records.
“It’s a good day,” said Ian Friedman, one of Williamson’s Cleveland attorneys.
The Beacon Journal is seeking comment from the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office.
Williamson, 52, was acquitted by a jury in March 2020 on sexual assault charges. He was fired in April 2018 from the job he held at the sheriff’s office for 19 years.
Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands agreed that Williamson could be tried separately for the sexual assault and database misuse charges.
Williamson, though, asked Rowlands to dismiss the charges that he misused the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) database. Williamson, who is Black, argued he was prosecuted when four white deputies were not.
Prosecutors found the white deputies’ database use involved a “legitimate law enforcement purpose.”
Rowlands sided with Williamson, but the 9th District Court of Appeals overturned her decision last January.
Williamson also has a pending federal lawsuit against the sheriff’s office and the city of Akron. He filed the suit in March 2021 in U.S. District Court in Akron, alleging discrimination and wrongful prosecution and termination. He is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.