DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The sex abuse case against a Des Moines high school girls’ basketball coach has been dismissed.
Forty seven-year-old Gerald “Tig” Johnson, a Roosevelt High School teacher, was charged in December with sexual exploitation by a school employee and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. He was placed on administrative leave.
Prosecutors said a video showed Johnson calling a 16-year-old girl out of class and having sexual contact with her in his classroom.
School officials say they saved the video, but the digital file became corrupted and couldn’t be viewed.
The Des Moines Register reports a judge ruled Friday that witnesses couldn’t testify about the video. Prosecutors say that ruling prevented them from proving Johnson’s guilt.
The judge ruled that not having the video was unfair to Johnson.
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