Prosecutors have dropped domestic battery charges against former South Bend common council candidate Roosevelt Stewart.
In August Stewart was charged with allegedly punching and strangling his 15-year-old daughter. The case was set for a jury trial starting August 1 but that was canceled Wednesday when St. Joseph Superior Judge Liz Hurley granted the state’s motion to dismiss the charges.
A spokeswoman for Prosecutor Ken Cotter said the office typically doesn’t comment on cases involving juvenile victims.
The 46-year-old Stewart had been running as a Republican for the council’s 2nd District seat. Democrat Ophelia Gooden-Rogers easily defeated him in the November election.
Stewart has maintained his innocence. He told the South Bend Tribune that his daughter, seeking his attention because he was so busy campaigning, had lied to police. He told The Tribune Thursday, “A mole hill can get turned into a mountain.”
But there are no findings in court records indicating Stewart has been exonerated. The state sought the dismissal because the Department of Child Services last month reported his daughter as a runaway, and her whereabouts are unknown.
Hurley dismissed the case on prejudice, meaning prosecutors can refile later if they choose to.
